West Ham will be without David Bentley after the on-loan Tottenham midfielder underwent a knee operation earlier this week. Bentley has been ruled out for up to six months, joining goalkeeper Robert Green (knee) and winger Gary O'Neil (ankle) on the sidelines.
But manager Sam Allardyce hopes to be able to call on defender Winston Reid (hamstring) and midfield duo Mark Noble (toe) and Matt Taylor (calf), who all missed the 2-2 draw at Crystal Palace a fortnight ago.
Right-back Guy Demel is pushing for a debut after recovering from a hamstring problem and striker John Carew, who scored for Norway this week, could start ahead of Carlton Cole after coming off the bench to head the equaliser at Palace.
Blackpool could hand a debut to Lomana LuaLua.
The 30-year-old striker signed for the Seasiders until the end of the season after impressing during a recent trial and could earn an instant start at Upton Park.
Defender Craig Cathcart is a doubt after he withdrew from the Northern Ireland squad due to a knee problem.
Daniel Bogdanovic (hamstring), Matt Gilks and Stephen Crainey (both ankle) also withdrew from international duty, but they should be fit to take part.
