West Ham manager David Moyes confirms fresh injury blow ahead of must-win Sevilla clash

West Ham manager David Moyes is concerned about the fitness of his players ahead of the knock-out tie against Sevilla on Thursday night.
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West Ham manager David Moyes has confirmed he is sweating over the fitness of two of his key players ahead of the Europa League second-leg against Sevilla.

The Hammers are trailing 1-0 from the first leg, and will have to become the first English side in this competition to beat Sevilla if if they are to progress to the quarter finals.

Michail Antonio of West Ham United looks on during the UEFA Europa League Round  (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)Michail Antonio of West Ham United looks on during the UEFA Europa League Round  (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)
Michail Antonio of West Ham United looks on during the UEFA Europa League Round (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)
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The Premier League outfit prepared for the game with an impressive 2-1 win against Aston Villa over the weekend, to put their push for a top four finish back on track.

During an open training session ahead of the game, striker Michail Antonio, left back Aaron Cresswell and midfielder Nikola Vlašić trained separately to the entire group.

Influential attacking midfielder Jarrod Bowen has already been ruled out of the game, making the potential injury to striker Michail Antonio more worrying.

What West Ham manager David Moyes said ahead of the game

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Moyes looked very pumped up ahead of the game, and will be hoping that the home fans help his team overcome the physical challenges and get them over the line.

He said: “I can’t confirm if Michail [Antonio] and Cresswell will be available tomorrow, because they did not train with the team today.

“They were there and they did some work with the fitness team, but we will leave it late and possibly tomorrow to give them the chance to recover.

“I don’t know how they will respond between now and tomorrow, but we have to give them the best chance to try and make it.

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“But at the moment they did not train with the team today, and we all have to wait and see how they recover.

“If Michail is not fully fit then I will not play him, but the real thing is that he is very important to us but if he is not fit we have to find other answers.

“Bowen is definitely out of the game tomorrow.”

What are the realistic chances of the trio making the game tomorrow?

According to sources close to the team, Antonio’s hamstring is not as bad as initially feared and Cresswell has healed better than initially thought.

Given that the team will definitely be missing the influential Bowen, the contribution of Antonio and Cresswell will be pivotal so the medical team will work around the clock between now and the game to get them out there.

Then Moyes will have to make a decision if he can risk the two key players from the start, or bring them on as impact substitutes.