West Ham United face AFC Bournemouth at 5:30pm on Saturday evening. The tie contests two of the in form team’s in the Premier League, with the Cherries aiming for Europe, and the Hammers attempting to stay up.
Nuno Espirito Santo is tasked with getting his side ready for the game, following a hard fought victory over Burton Albion in the FA Cup. The Hammers currently sit in the relegation zone by three points, but know Nottingham Forest’s game with Liverpool, means their match could be huge for the club
Nuno’s thoughts
On Pablo Filipe’s injury: “We have to take it day by day and assess him. He’s getting better each day and hopefully he can join us soon.”
Nuno followed this up, by confirming that everyone else is “okay” and ready to go for Saturday.
On AFC Bournemouth, and the task of closing the gap to safety: “I see it as another game, we have to focus on ourselves, and do our jobs and ignore what is happening with other teams.”
“This is a massive and important game for us at home. I expect a good atmosphere at the London Stadium with the fans helping us, so we can overcome together.”
“It’s a big test. They are a good team, it’s not about comparing [us], but about realising the threats and good players that they have and try to contain them.”
The West Ham boss also added that he had urged his team to focus on the basics, and play their game: “play the game and recognise that they are a tough opponent. They are a good team with a good dynamic, getting good results. It’s up to us to get a good performance”.
When asked about the Hammers upturn in form, Nuno explained that the desire to perform and win had been there since day one: “I don’t see much difference because I see them every day, training and preparing themselves. What I realised is that there is a desire, a commitment to getting out of this situation. I think we have been able to show character.”
Finally, on Taty Castellenos’s form, Nuno say’s he believes West Ham are lucky to have the player: “I think we have been lucky to have him. Since he’s joined, I think he has brought a lot of good things to the team, his energy, hard work, the goals and the way he plays football.”
“We had a look at him [before signing] and decided to bring him in because we believe in him. There was a clear need for a player in that position.”
