Following their impressive 3-0 home win against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League on Sunday, David Moyes' West Ham United side have the challenge of taking on Liverpool at Anfield in their League Cup quarter-final.
The Hammers have been in reasonably good form for most of the season this year, topping their Europa League group with relative ease and fighting their way to eighth in an incredibly competitive league.
They have a fantastic opportunity to go and win a second trophy in as many years with the League Cup, and they can call on their experience in the Conference League last year if they need any reassurance during the game.
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The prospect of a one-legged quarter-final at Anfield may be daunting, but the Hammers wiped the floor with current league leaders Arsenal in the last round and must approach this game with the same level of confidence and bravado as they did that one.
The Reds have looked great at points this year, but the games against Fulham, Toulouse and Luton Town show that they can be got at, so Moyes should look to make three personnel changes and one positional one as he looks to guide the Irons into the semi-finals.
1 GK – Łukasz Fabiański
Starting between the sticks for this all-important cup game will be Polish shot-stopper Łukasz Fabiański.
The experienced goalie has been filling in for the injured Alphonse Areola in recent weeks, and even though the Frenchman is fit again, Moyes will likely stick with his recognized cup keeper.
2 RB – Thilo Kehrer
The first change to the lineup comes at right-back, where Vladimír Coufal makes way for Thilo Kehrer to come back into the side.
The German defender started the cup game against Lincoln City in September as a right-back but has struggled for game time since.
This match represents the perfect opportunity to give him some meaningful minutes, and the "complete" defender, as described by former Germany manager Hansi Flick, has not done anything to suggest he couldn't cope.
3 CB – Kurt Zouma
Maintaining his place in the starting XI as the right-sided centre-back is former Chelsea man Kurt Zouma.
The Frenchman has been integral to everything good about the Hammers this season, and while he hasn't played in the League Cup this campaign, his presence will undoubtedly be needed on Wednesday night.
4 CB – Konstantinos Mavropanos
The second change to the XI comes in at left centre-back, with Greek international Konstantinos Mavropanos replacing regular starter Nayef Aguerd.
The stature and presence of the "gladiator", as described by his former manager Pellegrino Matarazzo, will help create a rather formidable backline that might be able to stop the powerful Darwin Núñez in his tracks should Jürgen Klopp choose to start the Uruguayan striker.
5 LB – Emerson Palmieri
Keeping his place at left-back is Italian-Brazilian full-back Emerson Palmieri.
The former Chelsea defender has started 88% of the team's Premier League games, and the 3-0 win over Arsenal in the last round of the cup, so it would be a massive surprise were he not starting on Wednesday.
6 DM – Edson Alvarez
Another stalwart in the team is Mexican international Edson Alvarez, who once again keeps his place at the base of midfield, where he has started 76% of West Ham's league encounters.
He is another one who started against Arsenal in November, and with an attack as potent as Liverpool's set to test the Irons, the former Ajax man will almost certainly start.
7 DM – James Ward-Prowse
James Ward-Prowse keeps his place in the starting XI for the quarter-final, but instead of starting in an attacking midfield role, like he did against Wolves, he'll be starting alongside Alvarez to provide more cover for the backline – replacing Tomas Soucek.
The former Southampton captain has experience playing in a defensive role and has done so 21 times in his career.
He should still be able to dictate play from a deeper position while allowing for more attacking players to start ahead of him and keeping the team's defensive unit more robust.
8 RM – Mohammed Kudus
On the right of midfield, Mohammed Kudus keeps his place in the team, and considering he has started both of the previous games in this competition, it's hardly a surprise.
The Ghanian has been on fire for the Irons this season and already has five Premier League goals to his name this year.
9 CAM – Lucas Paquetá
The second positional switch in the team for this game will be Lucas Paquetá's move into a central attacking midfield area in place of Ward-Prowse.
The Brazilian maestro might just be the club's most technically gifted player, and so it would make sense for Moyes to move into the centre of the park to allow him to dictate more of the play, and with rapid wingers either side of him, he could be a real problem for the Reds defence.
10 LM – Saïd Benrahma
The third and final change to the starting XI is out on the left, where Saïd Benrahma comes in to fill the void left by Paquetá.
The former Brentford winger started the previous two games in the League Cup and did nothing that would warrant him losing his place to someone else.
Moreover, having another tricky, technical and "unplayable" attacker, as described by journalist Josh Bunting, in the side can only help the team's chances in this must-win encounter.
