Lincoln City vs West Ham United Prediction: West Ham will be happy with their performances across competitions so far

Lincoln City will welcome West Ham United at LNER Stadium in Round 3 of the EFL English Cup. West Ham will be happy with their performances across competitions so far. Who will come out on top after 90 minutes?

From Lincoln's point of view, it feels like just a short while ago when they were on an impressive unbeaten streak of six games and even managed to defeat a Premier League team in this competition. Mark Kennedy, their coach, witnessed his team keep a clean sheet in a goalless draw against Sheffield United, and then secure victory in a penalty shootout. This victory was built on their recent successful run of four wins out of five games.

However, Lincoln's fortunes have changed since then. They have failed to secure a win in their last four matches across all competitions, with their most recent defeats coming against Derby County and Portsmouth. It is important to note that their loss to Derby was in the EFL Trophy, and their defeat against unbeaten leaders Portsmouth was only by a narrow margin of 2-1.

Although Lincoln's main focus for the season is promotion from League One, Kennedy sees this upcoming match as an opportunity to bring back the excitement of past cup runs, especially after a relatively uneventful 2022-23 season so far.

Jensen; Jackson, O'Connor, Mitchell; Sorensen, Smith, Erhahon, Burroghs; Hackett-Fairchild, Adelakun, Bishop

If asked about West Ham's performance at the beginning of the season, David Moyes might state that he is relatively satisfied with having accumulated 10 points from six Premier League games. The team's only defeats have come from Manchester City and Liverpool, both with a scoreline of 3-1. Additionally, they had a successful start to their Europa League campaign last week. However, it is concerning that the team has failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their seven games in all competitions during the 2023-24 season. Their reliance on their attacking abilities can only take them so far, and Moyes is aware of this as they prepare for their EFL Cup match on Wednesday. While the EFL Cup is not their main priority this season, Moyes expects his secondary players to impress and give him something to consider, as he will need as many players as possible performing at their best throughout the demanding schedule.

Fabianski; Kehrer, Mavropanos, Ogbonna, Johnson; Soucek, Fornals; Benrahma, Kudus, Cornet; Ings

There is anticipation for West Ham to undergo significant alterations, allowing Lincoln to see an opportunity to defy expectations in this match. However, the Hammers possess a well-stocked team with few injuries, which leads us to foresee a confident triumph for the Premier League team. We expect only one team to do the scoring.