AEK Larnaca vs West Ham United Preview – Prediction, how to watch & potential line-ups

West Ham United will get a much-needed break from domestic action when they take on AEK Larnaca in the first leg of their Europa Conference League clash on Thursday.

Over the course of the campaign, West Ham manager David Moyes has come close to losing his job several times, with the club failing to move away from the relegation zone despite their best efforts.

Last weekend’s 4-0 humbling away to European aspirants Brighton & Hove Albion seemed to be the final straw for Moyes in what has been a miserable campaign, yet the Scotsman retains the backing of club owner David Sullivan.

Having secured continental football over the last two seasons, it is not where the West Ham faithful envisioned their team would be and making it into Europe through the league this season is out of the question.

The Hammers are hanging on to top-flight status by a thread, with just one point separating them from the bottom three, and there seems to be trouble in the dressing room, with reports claiming the players are unhappy with the gaffer’s methods.

However, while top-flight security remains the priority, Moyes’ side will do well to throw everything in their arsenal at winning this competition to ensure a spot in next season’s Europa League.

After failing to make it past the Europa League group stage, AEK Larnaca were demoted to the Conference League, although they could not have hoped for a better qualification match-up than Ukrainian side Dnipro-1.

After securing a slender 1-0 first-leg win thanks to a last-minute goal from Angel Garcia, the Cypriot outfit only needed to avoid defeat in the reverse fixture to go through – and they did, playing out a goalless draw away from home.

However, Larnaca are not entering the tie in the best form after winning just one of their last four games (D1, L2), and with a much stronger opposition standing in their path to the quarter-final, they will need to up their game against the Londoners.

Larnaca and West Ham have never previously faced off in any European competition. Both teams have also never faced opponents from England and Cyprus respectively.

Match Preview

AEK Larnaca

Despite their victory over Dnipro-1 in Cyprus, Larnaca have won just two of their eight European games since September. But they are currently on their longest unbeaten streak in Europe (W1, D3).

The Cypriot side have also kept a clean sheet in their last two matches in European competition and are looking to keep three in a row for the first time. They have also picked up just four points from as many matches in the Cypriot top tier since early February.

West Ham United

After last weekend’s thumping, the uninspiring Hammers need no lecture on the importance of returning to winning ways on the European scene.

West Ham have won all six games in the Conference League, becoming the first team to achieve that feat in the competition’s history.

They are considered favourites in this match, and their European form should give them a much-needed confidence boost. However, scoring goals has been a problem for Moyes’ side recently. 

They have managed to score more than one goal in a game just once in their last six outings, and they will need to recover their ruthlessness in front of goal to avoid any potential upset behind enemy lines.

AEK Larnaca vs West Ham United Potential Line-ups

AEK Larnaca (4-1-4-1): Kenan Piric; Roberto Rosales, Hrvoje Milicevic, Pere Pons, Nikos Englezou; Gus Ledes; Imad Faraj, Mathias Gonzalez, Marin Jakolis, Ivan Trickovski; Rafael Lopes.

West Ham United (4-2-3-1): Alphonse Areola; Ben Johnson, Nayef Aguerd, Angelo Ogbonna, Aaron Cresswell; Flynn Downes, Declan Rice; Jarrod Bowen, Pablo Fornals, Said Benrahma; Gianluca Scamacca.

How to Watch?

All Europa Conference League games are available for live streaming through different platforms and providers depending on where you are in the world. See our live streams page for more information.

AEK Larnaca vs West Ham United Prediction

West Ham may be going through a challenging period in the league, but their European credentials speak for themselves.

Moyes’ side should have enough in the tank to swat aside Larnaca, potentially laying the foundations for a comfortable second leg in front of their own fans.

AEK Larnaca 0-3 West Ham United