West Hamvs.Celta Vigo

The Hammers will open their new season against Aston Villa on August 17, while Celta will begin their La Liga campaign at home to Alaves on August 16.

Match preview

West Ham have played four times since ending their 2023-24 Premier League campaign with a 3-1 defeat to Manchester City in the middle of May.

The Hammers opened their preparations for the new season with a 2-2 draw against Ferencvaros, before beating Dagenham & Redbridge 1-0 on July 20, but they lost their two matches in the United States to Wolverhampton Wanderers and Crystal Palace.

Now under the management of Julen Lopetegui, West Ham will conclude their pre-season at home to Celta on Saturday afternoon, before opening their new Premier League season against Villa on August 17.

The Hammers have made six signings this summer, with Max Kilman, Crysencio Summerville, Niclas Fullkrug, Luis Guilherme, Guido Rodriguez and Wes Foderingham arriving in an eye-catching transfer window.

West Ham finished ninth in the Premier League last season but will be expecting to be in the mix for the European spots in the coming campaign, and it is shaping up to be a fascinating first season under Lopetegui.

Celta, meanwhile, are also in the final stages of their pre-season, with the Spanish outfit facing West Ham this weekend before opening their La Liga campaign at home to Alaves on August 16.

The Sky Blues finished 13th in La Liga last term, and they have been present in Spain's top flight since 2012, with their last Segunda Division campaign proving to be 2011-12.

Claudio Giraldez's side have played six times during pre-season and have recorded four wins, including a 3-1 success over English outfit Luton Town last weekend.

Celta will actually start the new campaign with back-to-back home matches against Alaves and Valencia, and they have managed to make three strong signings this summer, adding Unai Nunez, Borja Iglesias and Ilaix Moriba to their squad.

There has been a notable departure, though, with one of their most talented players Jorgen Strand Larsen making the switch to Wolves on an initial loan deal.

West Ham United friendly form:

D

W

L

L

Celta Vigo friendly form:

W

W

W

L

W

Team News

Summerville, Fullkrug and Rodriguez are all in line to make their West Ham debuts this weekend, while there could be first home appearances for the likes of Kilman and Foderingham.

Head coach Lopetegui will now have his focus on the league opener with Villa and that will be reflected by his team for this match, with a strong XI set to start before changes are made.

Michail Antonio and Danny Ings remain with West Ham despite being strongly linked with exits, and the pair are expected to be involved on Saturday, most likely off the bench.

However, Kurt Zouma is unlikely to play, with the centre-back on the verge of leaving the club.

As for Celta, all three new signings should be on show, with Nunez expected to feature in the middle of the bench, while Moriba and Iglesias could also play through the spine of the team.

Iago Aspas is familiar with English soil following his time at Liverpool, and the experienced attacker is likely to be in the away side's starting XI on Saturday afternoon.

A number of youngsters are also expected to be given opportunities, with 20-year-old Hugo Sotelo among those likely to feature in the second half of the contest.

West Ham United possible starting lineup:

Areola; Coufal, Aguerd, Kilman, Emerson; Ward-Prowse, Rodriguez; Kudus, Paqueta, Bowen; Fullkrug

Celta Vigo possible starting lineup:

Villar; Mingueza, Aidoo, Nunez, Manquillo; Beltran, Moriba, De la Torre; Aspas, Iglesias, Bamba

We say: West Ham United 2-1 Celta Vigo

Celta's results and performances during pre-season have been impressive, and we are expecting them to score on Saturday, but West Ham will have home advantage, and the Hammers have enough quality to navigate their way to a victory in their final friendly of the summer.

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