David Moyes is dealt a blow as he looks to take a gamble in our Europa Conference League group match in Belgium this evening.

West Ham go into arguably our toughest Group B fixture away to Anderlecht in a match that if won, would see our Hammers all-but qualify for the knock-out stages of the competition.

Domestically, Moyes’ side haven’t started as strong, however a victory last weekend in the Premier League over Wolves is seen by many as a turning point, with another big opportunity fast approaching this Sunday with the visit of Fulham at London Stadium.

This begs the question, does Moyes look to take a huge stride to qualification tonight with his strongest available lineup or rest key players ahead of Sunday?

“I have to say that doing well in the Premier League is always so important,” the boss told the press ahead of the match at Lotto Park tonight. “But doing well in the Premier League gets you into Europe and we’re really enjoying being here.”

There is no doubt that there is a big difference this season with our Hammers again juggling European competition, with quality in squad depth evident with Moyes now able to rotate with more ease. The hope for some fringe players, like Flynn Downes for instance, that they get the opportunity to impress.

One player who will not be available which is a blow to the manager is Max Cornet, who has picked up a calf strain in the victory over Wolves on Saturday.

The summer signing from Burnley has been ruled out for around 2 weeks, as revealed by our ITK ExWHUEmployee, following a scan this week. This was also confirmed by Moyes, as reported by Football London, who said the winger hasn’t travelled with the squad but that “we don’t think is too severe.”

Despite the setback, Moyes has plenty of options at his disposal, and it’s felt that even if a few starters from the weekend are rested, West Ham will have enough to prevail in Belgium tonight and make a huge stride towards knockout European football for the second successive season.