Shrewsbury Town vs West Ham United; The FA Cup Third Round
Shrewsbury Town vs West Ham United. The FA Cup Third Round.
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Shrewsbury v West Ham preview: Joe Hart to return against former club
Sunday 7 January 2018 13:33, UK
Joe Hart is set to return in goal for West Ham United and face his former club Shrewsbury in the FA Cup on Sunday (2pm).
The goalkeeper has lost his place to Adrian in the last few weeks but will step in for the trip to New Meadow.
After a spell of positive results, including the 1-1 draw with Tottenham on Thursday, the Hammers will be hoping to avoid getting knocked out at this stage like they have in four of the six previous years.
This is Shrewsbury's first FA Cup third-round tie against Premier League opposition since January 2003, when they eliminated David Moyes' Everton.
Team news
Shrewsbury will have goalkeeper Craig MacGillivray between the sticks for the third-round clash as first-choice 'keeper Dean Henderson was not given permission by parent club Manchester United to compete in the competition.
Marko Arnautovic (hamstring), Michail Antonio (groin) and Aaron Cresswell (back) are unlikely to be risked for West Ham while Jose Fonte (ankle) and Sam Byram (hamstring) are still out.
Opta stats
This is the first meeting between these sides since February 1981, with West Ham winning 2-0 in a league fixture with goals from Alan Devonshire and David Cross.
West Ham's last defeat to Shrewsbury came in April 1980, just 14 days before they won the 1980 FA Cup final.
West Ham have progressed from each of their last five FA Cup ties as a Premier League side against teams from the third tier or below, last going out to Swansea City in 1998/99 after a replay.
Charlie Nicholas' prediction
This is difficult for West Ham because this is the last thing they need after their back-to-back games and the lack of numbers David Moyes is down to.
It could be a troubling day for them and you worry whether they'll able to match their hosts' energy after tough games on Tuesday and Thursday.
Charlie predicts: 1-2 (15/2 with Sky Bet)