MY ACCOUNT
West Ham are within touching distance of a first European semi-final since 1976.
Standing in their way are French side Lyon, who earned a 1-1 draw at the London Stadium in last week’s quarter-final first leg.
Reduced to 10 men following Aaron Cresswell’s red card, David Moyes’ side fought bravely to firstly score, through Jarrod Bowen, and then keep the tie in the balance after Tottenham loanee Tanguy Ndombele struck a 66th-minute equaliser.
Ahead of Thursday night’s second leg, Irons midfielder Tomas Soucek is aware of the significance of the clash.
The Czech international said: “We are one game from the semi-final and we can write history for West Ham, so it’s great.
“I am very excited because it’s the quarter-final of the Europa League.
“Many guys didn’t achieve this in their whole life, but we are here and it’s a really big thing.”
Czech mate
Soucek has played an integral role for the East Londoners ever since his arrival from Slavia Prague in January 2020.
Named Player of the Year last term, his first full season at the club, the engine room operator is relishing the task at hand as Moyes’ men look to make the final four.
The No28, who scored in the Hammers’ last-16 win against Sevilla, added: “I just hope that we have a really big chance because of how we played against Lyon at home.
“We lost one man and still got a draw in the second half, so we have a really good chance, but we have to be confident and just mentally be ready for the game.
“I just hope that it will be similar to our second leg against Sevilla, because that was great.
“Our quality, our mentality and our spirit were the best and we went through, so I hope that we will do it again against Lyon.”
Lyon pride
Lyon coach Peter Bosz meanwhile is aware of the threat posed by the team from the capital.
The Dutch coach has overseen an inconsistent season at the Groupama Stadium, which has resulted in his team sitting 10th in the Ligue 1 table.
But the 58-year-old former Borussia Dortmund manager is in confident mood: “I prepare my team to win games. To do that, you have to take chances and score.
“West Ham will have the same strategy as at the London Stadium, I think. I am preparing the team for all scenarios.
“We can qualify for the semi-finals here at home.
“The players have to realize that the supporters are behind us. We have to get them back on the pitch with that state of mind.”
