West Ham: 'Massive blow' for Moyes before Frankfurt tie

West Ham’s injury problems are a “massive blow” to their Europa League chances, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Hammers host their first European semi-final since 1976 tonight when they face Eintracht Frankfurt, the same opposition when they were beaten finalists in the European Cup Winners’ Cup that year.

But David Moyes has a defensive crisis ahead of the game at the London Stadium, which could hamper their chances of getting a positive result.

Moyes’ squad have generally coped well with injuries this season despite this being their 51st game in all competitions.

However, his defence have enjoyed little luck, which is why West Ham go into tonight’s tie with just one senior centre-back available.

Angelo Ogbonna is already near enough out for the rest of the season following a serious knee injury sustained against Liverpool back in November.

But his injury allowed unsung hero Craig Dawson and summer arrival Kurt Zouma to strike up a solid partnership at the heart of the Hammers’ backline.

However, the Frenchman suffered an ankle injury and will miss the first leg against the German outfit, although Moyes did say that the ex-Chelsea man is ‘ahead of schedule‘.

His absence allowed fourth-choice Issa Diop to start in the last round against Lyon, but then he followed Zouma in injuring his ankle and is unavailable for the game in east London.

As a result, Moyes will have to use a makeshift defensive pairing despite this being the club’s biggest fixture for several years.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “They’re a massive blow. You don’t want injuries at any time of the season, especially when you’re in a semi-final of a European competition and the one position you don’t want injuries in is at centre-back, with it being such