West Ham appear to have given real hope on Jarrod Bowen and Alphonse Areola for the quarter-final first leg at Bayer Leverkusen.
West Ham fans know David Moyes loves mind games when it comes to team selection.
The manager is very much from the old school in that respect and likes to play his cards very close to his chest on anything to do with his potential line-up.
That often means the Scot plays down or hams up the availability of his West Ham stars.
Especially when it is a particularly important game.
And they don’t get much bigger than a Europa League quarter-final against Xabi Alonso’s invincibles Bayer Leverkusen.
West Ham head to Germany on Wednesday ahead of a daunting first leg in Germany against a Bayer side unbeaten in 41 matches in all competitions this season.
Can West Ham burst the unbeaten Bayer bubble?
Leverkusen are on course to do the treble. But the Hammers, famed for spoiling many a party down the years, will want to make sure it is a double at best.
There has been an air of confidence and relish among some supporters that West Ham can be the first team to beat Leverkusen this season.
But that has been dampened somewhat by the unavailability of suspended midfield ace Edson Alvarez and injuries to top scorer Jarrod Bowen and number one goalkeeper Alphonse Areola.
Alvarez will be back for the second leg at the London Stadium.
And Areola would likely not have played anyway as Lukasz Fabianski is West Ham’s cup goalkeeper.
The potential loss of Bowen, though, is an unmitigated disaster for the Hammers.
West Ham appear to give hope on Bowen and Areola
Bowen suffered what we were told through unofficial channels is a ‘badly bruised spine’. Sounds as painful as it looked.
With an injury like that it’s all about how the individual recovers.
But now we have heard from the club in an official capacity on Bowen’s injury for the first time as well as the latest on Areola.
In the club’s official preview for the Leverkusen first leg, West Ham appear to give real hope on the duo.
“Midfielder Edson Álvarez will miss the trip to Germany through suspension, having picked up his third yellow card in this season’s UEFA Europa League campaign against SC Freiburg last time out,” West Ham’s official site states.
“Attacker Jarrod Bowen will be assessed after being withdrawn in the early stages of the second half against Wolverhampton Wanderers at the weekend, as will goalkeeper Alphonse Areola, who has missed the last two games with a groin problem.”
Real or false hope or is it mind games?
Stating that Bowen and Areola will be assessed ahead of the game suggests there may well be a glimmer of hope they could be available.
It may be clutching at straws but if the duo had no chance then surely the official site would just say as much.
Of course that may all form part of Moyes’ preference to keep the opposition guessing either way.
All eyes will be on what the manager himself has to say when faces the press later today.
As reported earlier, Alonso has confirmed striker Adam Hlozek – a former Hammers target – will miss the game.
West Ham’s official site has gone one better to claim Nathan Tella is also a big doubt for the German champions-elect.