OPINION
West Ham United boss Manuel Pellegrini will likely want to name an unchanged starting lineup against Chelsea on Sunday, but the club are still sweating on the fitness of star striker Marko Arnautovic.
As reported by football.london, the Austria international is to be assessed by the club this weekend ahead of the match, with the Hammers hopeful that he will be fit enough to face the Blues.
Arnautovic is suffering with a recurrence of a knee injury he first felt a few weeks ago, with the 29-year-old withdrawn from the action against Everton last weekend after feeling pain in that area.
There is hope that Arnautovic will have recovered enough to start at the London Stadium on Sunday, but should he not, then Pellegrini will have a big decision to make amid a major first-team blow.
Does he bring in Javier Hernandez, the obvious choice? Or does he twist by plumping for someone else?
Hernandez’s poor form when called upon so far this season suggests that he is not the best option for this one, and Pellegrini should instead look to another member of his squad: the rarely-seen summer signing Lucas Perez.
The Spaniard has started just once for the Hammers so far this season, making two other short-lived substitute appearances, while also being left out of the squad completely on two occasions by Pellegrini.
Like Hernandez, Perez has not really taken his chances too well this season, but that is tough when he is yet to be given a real run in the team.
The first reason he would be a better option that Chicharito is his extra pace, which will allow the Hammers to break with speed in a game which will likely see them on the back foot for much of the 90 minutes.
Secondly comes his extra height and strength, which will aid him in holding play up for the Irons, a job which Hernandez finds hard due to his small frame.
All in all this is a clear decision for Pellegrini, who must recognise that Hernandez will be totally ineffective against Chelsea’s dominant defence.