West Ham and Portsmouth will kick off their respective campaigns this weekend with the first round of the EFL Cup.
The Hammers were relegated from the Premier League last season, and as a result, they will compete in the first round of the cup.
Nuno Espírito Santo’s team will face Pompey on Saturday at 3pm, with both teams aiming to advance to the next round.
The two clubs will also aim to put up a solid showing ahead of the Championship season, which begins the following weekend.
The London club will be looking for automatic promotion back to the Premier League, while John Mousinho’s team hopes to improve on their 18th-place result in 2025/26.
Here are the players from both sides who will miss the EFL Cup match on August 8th.
West Ham’s injury list includes Tomas Soucek.
Tomas Soucek competed in the World Cup with the Czech Republic earlier this summer, but he sustained a serious injury that will keep him sidelined.
The 31-year-old is an important player for West Ham, but he will miss the start of the season after suffering an injury in the last group game against Mexico, 3-0.
Souceck suffered a ligament damage in his ankle and will be unavailable for the match against Portsmouth.
The Czech international is unlikely to play for at least a few months as he works his way back to full health.
It has been stated that he will take up to three months to recuperate from this ankle injury, so supporters will have to wait a long for his comeback.
Soucek could return to the squad after the September international break, but no precise date has been set for when he will be ready for selection again.
Keiber Lamadrid
Keibar Lamadrid, the first permanent addition to West Ham’s roster this summer, will not make his debut against Portsmouth.
According to reports, the winger injured his knee during the Hammers’ pre-season, thus he will miss this weekend.
The 22-year-old is expected to miss their first league game as well, with a rehabilitation time of two to three weeks.
West Ham against Portsmouth – Injury/Suspension List
Player
Club
Reason for absence:
Tomás Soucek
West Ham
Ankle injury.
Keiber Lamadrid
West Ham
Knee injury.
Franco Umeh
Portsmouth
A hamstring injury
Harvey Blair
Portsmouth
Hip injury.
Josh Murphy, Portsmouth
A groyne injury
Keshi Anderson
Portsmouth
Quad injury.
Portsmouth Injuries
Franco Umeh
Franco Umeh’s participation in the EFL Cup match against West Ham is in doubt due to a hamstring injury sustained during a pre-season friendly against Kuwait SC earlier this week.
The 21-year-old is unlikely to play against the Hammers, dealing another damage to Mousinho’s team just before the season begins.
Harvey Blair
Harvey Blair’s availability has also been called into question following a hip injury sustained during the club’s trip to Darmstadt.
Injuries have hampered his stay at Fratton Park in recent years, and he may now miss the season’s first EFL Cup game.
Josh Murphy
Josh Murphy did not travel to Germany due to an injury setback following groyne surgery in April.
It is thought that the winger will miss the first few weeks of the new season, ruling him out of the trip to the London Stadium.
Keshi Anderson
Keshi Anderson has been declared out for up to three months due to a quad injury sustained during the preseason.
This means he will be unavailable for the match against West Ham, and he will most likely not return to action until after the September international break.
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