Irving and Scarles start as Hammers make five changes for Brentford visit

West Ham United v Brentford

Premier League, London Stadium, Monday 20 October 2025, 8pm BST

Nuno Espírito Santo has named his starting XI for his first home game as West Ham United Head Coach against Brentford on Monday evening.

The 51-year-old takes charge of the Hammers at London Stadium for the first time, eager to secure a first victory of his reign in east London, and a first success on home turf this season, against the Bees.

Nuno makes five changes to the team which suffered a 2-0 defeat at Arsenal before the October international window. The players who come into the starting XI are Kyle Walker-Peters, Jean-Clair Todibo, Ollie Scarles, Andy Irving and Tomáš Souček, with Dinos Mavropanos, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, El Hadji Malick Diouf, Soungoutou Magassa and Niclas Füllkrug the quintet who miss out.

Scotland midfielder Irving makes just his second Premier League start for the Hammers and his first since the beginning of February away at Chelsea, while Academy of Football graduate Scarles returns to the side for the first time since our final-day victory at Ipswich Town in May to make his first competitive appearance of the season.

Todibo, meanwhile, starts in the Premier League for the first time since our home defeat by Chelsea in August.

So, Alphonse Areola will stand tall in goal behind a back four of Walker-Peters, Todibo, Maximilian Kilman - who makes his 50th West Ham appearance - and Scarles.

Souček - who is recalled to the starting XI against the Bees, having served a three-match suspension after being sent-off against Tottenham Hotspur in September - will play in midfield alongside Portugal U21 international Mateus Fernandes and Irving.

Captain Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville will flank Lucas Paquetá, who makes his 100th Premier League appearance for the Irons at London Stadium.

Bowen scored his first career hat-trick against Brentford in a 4-2 win at London Stadium in February 2024,

The bench will be filled by goalkeeper Mads Hermansen, full-backs Wan-Bissaka and Diouf, centre-back Mavropanos, midfielders Freddie Potts, Guido Rodríguez and Magassa and strikers Callum Marshall and Callum Wilson.

West Ham United: Areola, Walker-Peters, Todibo, Kilman, Scarles, Souček, Irving, Fernandes, Summerville, Bowen ©, Paquetá

Subs: Hermansen (GK), Wan-Bissaka, Diouf, Mavropanos, Potts, Rodríguez, Magassa, Marshall, Wilson

Brentford: Kelleher, Yarmoliuk, Van Den Berg, Collins ©, Ajer, Kayode, Damsgaard, Henderson, Ouattara, Thiago, Schade

Subs: Valdimarsson (GK), Henry, Pinnock, Jensen, Carvalho, Onyeka, Janelt, Nelson, Lewis-Potter

Referee: Andy Madley

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