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da bwin： Aaron Cresswell and Fabian Balbuena are fit to play for West Ham United against Cardiff City this weekend, the club have confirmed.
The pair could return to Manuel Pellegrini’s starting XI as the club looks to continue their push for European football.
What’s the word?
Cresswell was kicked in the head against Newcastle United and was substituted after 34 minutes.
But he has recovered from the problem and will be fit to play against Neil Warnock’s relegation-threatened Bluebirds.
Balbuena, meanwhile, has been absent since December, when he sustained a knee injury in the 2-0 defeat to Watford.
He is now ready to return, leaving Hammers boss Pellegrini with a selection headache after previously selecting Issa Diop and Angelo Ogbonna at centre-back.
Without Balbuena, the Irons have played 11 Premier League games, winning four and losing four, while drawing with Brighton & Hove Albion, Liverpool and Crystal Palace.
Pellegrini, in quotes reported by the club’s website, said: “The injury update is Cresswell worked with the team the last two days so he will not have any problems.
“Fabian Balbuena played 45 minutes for the U23 team on Monday, also without any problems so both of them are fit. I think they are available for selection at Cardiff.”
Balbuena’s brilliance
The return of Balbuena will be music to the ears of many Hammers fans.
The Paraguay international endured a rocky start to his career at the club – losing his first four matches – but soon forged a superb partnership with Diop.
The pair were central to an impressive run between October and December in which West Ham lost just one game from eight in the top-flight.
Cresswell, too, has been in impressive form this season and, after suffering a potentially serious injury, it is good news that he will be available for selection this weekend.
The Hammers are currently ninth, four points behind seventh-placed Wolves and the final Europa League qualification spot; they need all the help they can get to overhaul the promoted side between now and May.