West Ham United manager has named his starting lineup for Saturday's Championship match at Watford, handing a full league debut to 18-year-old defender Airidas Golambeckis. The Hammers make three changes from the side that drew with Charlton, as reported by the club's official website, www.whufc.com.
Golambeckis, a graduate of the club's famed Academy of Football, partners Maximilian Kilman in central defence. He replaces the injured Dinos Mavropanos and makes his first Championship start after impressing in the midweek Carabao Cup win at Southampton. The teenager first joined the club's Foundation sessions in Beckton at the age of five.
Who else comes into the West Ham side?
Summer signing Joël Veltman makes his first league start for the club at right-back. The experienced Dutch defender also featured in the victory at St Mary's Stadium. His inclusion sees Kyle Walker-Peters switch over to the left side of the back four.
The third change sees Divine Mukasa retain his place in attacking midfield after starting in the cup. He will operate behind striker Taty Castellanos, supporting an attack flanked by captain Jarrod Bowen and Manor Solomon. Arne Engels and Mohamadou Kanté continue their partnership in the centre of the park.
What is the context for this Championship fixture?
The match comes with West Ham looking to climb from 19th in the Championship table. They have taken just two points from their opening three games, with a record of zero wins, two draws and one loss. Their goal difference stands at minus one, having scored four and conceded five. They currently sit seven points behind early leaders Charlton Athletic.
Key midfielder Tomáš Souček remains sidelined for this fixture. The team's next challenge is a home game against high-flying Wolves, who are second in the table, on Tuesday. Fans can track the team's progress on our standings page.
What history do West Ham players have against Watford?
Several members of the squad have previous experience against the Hornets. Captain Jarrod Bowen registered three assists in a 4-1 Premier League win at Vicarage Road back in December 2021. He also scored the winner in the reverse fixture at London Stadium the following February.
Manor Solomon scored and provided an assist, including one for teammate Joël Piroe, in a 4-0 win for Leeds United at Watford in February 2025. Piroe, named on the bench today, has a strong personal record with four goals in six career appearances against Watford. Mukasa appeared for Leicester City in a goalless draw at Vicarage Road during a loan spell in March. Striker Taty Castellanos has never faced Watford but did play against their head coach Alessio Dionisi's Sassuolo side while with Lazio.
Who is available on the substitutes' bench?
The bench includes six Academy graduates who all featured at Southampton: Fin Herrick, Ollie Scarles, Ezra Mayers, Kaelan Casey, Lewis Orford, and Joshua Ajala. They are joined by Keiber Lamadrid and the fit-again Pablo Felipe. Joël Piroe offers a proven goal threat from among the substitutes.
Watford's lineup is captained by Mattie Pollock and includes goalkeeper Filip Ravaglia. The referee for the 3pm BST kick-off at Vicarage Road is Bobby Madley. This match represents a key opportunity for West Ham to secure their first league win of the season and build momentum ahead of a tough run of fixtures detailed on our fixtures schedule.
