West Ham United go into tonight's game against Dinamo Zagreb knowing they have already qualified for the last 16 of the Europa League.
Still, David Moyes is hoping his team - which will consist mainly of reserve players and emerging youngsters - can put on a show for the fans who plan to attend the London Olympic Stadium.And the boss hailed the "huge" 2-0 win in Croatia in the corresponding fixture as the match which put West Ham in such an advantageous position, as the two teams prepare to lock horns for a second time.
"I believe Dinamo Zagreb are a huge European club with great history," he said, speaking ahead of Thursday night's clash. "You only need to see the results against Tottenham last season to see how good a team they are.
"I know there have been a few changes, but they are a huge name. When you say Dinamo Zagreb, everybody knows exactly who you're talking about in Europe. I've got great respect for them because they qualify for European competition most seasons.
"They've got vast experience, so for us to go and win in Zagreb was such a starter for us in the group. It was huge that we could go and win in Zagreb, because of the experience Dinamo has.
"So I see it as a big game against a big opponent with a big history - and we will need a big performance to get another result."
One player definitely not involved for the visitors is Croatian international Bruno Petkovic, who has failed to travel to London with the Dinamo squad. And Moyes admitted he was grateful that the experienced 27-year-old will not be involved.
"It's helpful that he's not here because he is a really good player," said Moyes. "We were very careful of him in the first game.
"We knew the way he links up play for Dinamo is really important. He's one of their big players and a Croatian international as well, but we're well aware that his absence will also give other players opportunities to come in and maybe show what they can do."
One Croatian international who is almost certain to start the game though is West Ham's Nikola Vlasic, who has enjoyed a slow start to his time at the club since arriving at the end of the summer transfer window for a fee worth in the region of £30million.
"We like Nikki a lot, although he's taken a little bit of time to settle," said Moyes. "He’ll get plenty of game time in the future because of the amount of games we have to play through the winter here in England. So yes, he’ll play tomorrow night.
"He played in the first game [in Zagreb] and played well for us, so we'll give him the opportunity to show it again.
"We understand what it means for the group, to try and be strong. I want to go through unbeaten so I want to try and get three points. It's really important for us to keep the momentum going, but I know it's important for Dinamo because they have a chance of qualifying tomorrow night as well."
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