West Ham team news: Moyes leaves Antonio and Benrahma benched as Hammers seek 11th European win in a row

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As West Ham take on Gent in the Europa Conference League they’ll be looking at making history, so it’s odd that David Moyes should apparently keep some of his senior stars benched.

According to UEFA, the Hammers can win their 11th straight game in the competition by beating the Belgian side, though they’ll have to do so initially without the likes of Michail Antonio and Said Benrahma, both of whom start the tie as substitutes.

They’re joined by Tomas Soucek, Pablo Fornals, Kurt Zouma and others, with Moyes bringing in the likes of Manuel Lanzini and Danny Ings to the starting XI.

The east Londoners don’t have much in the way of strength in depth, so perhaps the Scot is hedging his bets to begin with in the hope that, if needed, he can bring on some firepower in the second half.

The visitors may have their work cut out too, given that Gent are unbeaten in their last seven games in all competitions, per WhoScored, and conceding more than one goal on just one occasion in that run.

West Ham’s results in Europe compared to in the Premier League are like chalk and cheese, and the respite that this competition gives the players in terms of easing of pressure is clearly suiting them.

Whether Moyes has called things just right and they’re capable of making it 11 wins from 11 will be known later on Thursday evening.

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