Nuno Espirito Santo says his players are expecting a "battle" this weekend when fellow strugglers Burnley visit Stratford.
The Hammers host the Clarets this Saturday hoping to secure back-to-back home wins for the first time this year, having beaten Newcastle Utd 3-1 last Sunday.However Santo expects another tough test as his team seek to exit the bottom three of the Premier League table for the first time since August.
"It’s going to be a totally different match against a totally different team full of good players," Santo said, while addressing the media during his pre-match press conference. "We’ve been watching how good Burnley have been, and we’re expecting a really tough game.
"I have huge respect for Scott [Parker]. We’ve known each other for a long time now, he’s done well at different clubs and managed abroad. He’s someone I really admire."
It’s going to be a totally different match on Saturday, against a totally different team full of good players. We’ve been watching how good Burnley have been, and we’re expecting a really tough game.
I have huge respect for Scott [Parker]. We’ve known each other for a long time now, and he’s done well at different clubs and managed abroad. He’s someone I really admire.
"The table isn’t a reference for us at the moment. We know we’re in a bad position, but we’re focused on improving our game. If we improve first individually, this will be reflected by the team and then we can think about the table. The priority at the moment is on competing, and getting results."
And Santo is expected to retain the likes of Freddie Potts, who marked his Premier League debut with a Man of the Match award and Callum Wilson, when he names his team tomorrow lunchtime.
"I think Freddie played really, really well [against Newcastle]," replied Santo, when asked whether he was likely to continue with the Potts experiment. "He was balanced, his actions were accurate and he did what the team needed in that moment.
"But it’s only one game. He played many games in the Championship and in League One, which helped make Freddie. He’s a really good option for us but he’s started one game and we want to help him improve, like all the players. He’s got so much talent, so we’re looking forward to seeing what he can do.
"I think Callum did really well against Newcastle. He had a tough job, up against two physical centre halves, but he was a presence up there. We had to manage Callum, and he came off after around 60 minutes, but his experience will continue to be really important for us.
"He has a good record against Burnley - seven goals in 12 games - and if he can score on Saturday that would be amazing!"
Definitely absent for the game are Niclas Fullkrug - "Niclas is progressing but not all the parts of the training sessions" - and Konstantinos Mavropanos - "Dinos is still on individual work". However Santo expects both to be in the reckoning again after the international break that follows the Burnley meeting.
"After a football match there's always knocks, there's always problems that we have to deal with during the week. But let's see if we still have [them] tomorrow and let's see what's available for the match," added Santo.
"We all made a little step on Sunday, but it’s in the past now. Newcastle is finished, and now we’re all solely focused on Burnley on Saturday." You may watch Santo's pre-match presser in full, below.
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