West Ham United return to Premier League action today following their midweek FA Cup defeat to Manchester United and David Moyes will be desperate for three crucial points.

Moyes’ side are languishing near the foot of the table, just two points from the relegation spots and a trip to the Amex this afternoon to play Brighton and Hove Albion could be a tricky tie.

Kurt Zouma and Maxwel Cornet are both nearing returns to the side, although it remains to be seen whether Moyes gives them any game time today, while Vladimir Coufal is a doubt having suffered a heel injury and Lukasz Fabianski is definitely missing.

With that in mind, Football FanCast predicts that Moyes will make two changes from the side that lost at Old Trafford on Wednesday evening, with the Scotsman seeking a much-needed win in the relegation fight.

What could West Ham’s XI look like against Brighton?

4-3-3 – (GK) Areola; (RB) Johnson, (CB) Aguerd, (CB) Ogbonna, (LB) Emerson; (CM) Rice, (CM) Soucek, (CM) Paqueta; (RW) Bowen, (ST) Ings, (LW) Benrahma

With Fabianski injured, Alphonse Areola will keep his place in the starting lineup and will be hoping to have a better game between the sticks as he did against United, where he conceded three goals.

The back four will also remain unchanged. Ben Johnson and Emerson will occupy positions on the right and left-hand side of the defence, while Nayef Aguerd and Angelo Ogbonna will start at the heart of the backline. The two centre-backs will also be looking to improve from midweek, losing possession a combined 16 times between them.

Moyes will stick with the same midfield three that started in midweek. Declan Rice, Tomas Soucek, and Lucas Paqueta will be aiming to have much more of an influence in today's match than they did against United, and with a vital three points on offer, the midfield battle will be key.

Michail Antonio – who has previously been described as "unplayable" by pundit Harry Redknapp (talkSPORT, 26/08/21, 07:40) – will be replaced with Danny Ings, who netted twice against Nottingham Forest last week.

Jarrod Bowen will replace Pablo Fornals on the right wing and Moyes will be hoping the £60k-per-week dynamo can add to his four Premier League goals already this season. Having been dubbed “unreal” by Stephen Killen, there is no doubt he can have a big influence on the tie. Said Benrahma will keep his place on the left wing.

A win could give Moyes’ side the confidence to go on a solid run and repeating their performance against Forest last week may be enough to secure all three points.