In the absence of Conor Gallagher, who is ineligible to face his parent club, Vieira has chosen a two-man midfield of Cheikhou Kouyaté and James McArthur, with Jeffrey Schlupp, Michael Olise, Jordan Ayew and Wilfried Zaha in more advanced roles.
“Conor has been doing really well for us and today he will not be on the field,” Vieira explained. “But I believe the front players we have [will] have enough legs to get inside the box. This is something we had a little bit to improve.
“I believe the chances that we had and the crosses that we had, we didn’t have enough inside the box. Today with Jordan, Michael and Jeff we will manage to get there.”
The manager was enthusiastic about playing in front of the home support once again, who are sure to give Cheikhou Kouyaté a warm welcome after his Africa Cup of Nations success.
“It’s a fantastic challenge,” Vieira said. “We have to be up for it. We play at home, the support will be fantastic and we are looking forward to the game.
“Of course it was a fantastic achievement for [Kouyaté] and the country. Now he’s back with us we are really happy to have him back.
“It’s important for him to be at his best, because we need him today.”