Aaron Cresswell is relishing the upcoming fixture schedule for West Ham and is pleased to have a game on Thursday to bounce back from the defeat to Wolves. The run of a match every three days is nothing new for the Hammers, with David Moyes’ team facing a similar spell between the October and November international windows, something Cresswell believes will stand his side in good stead as they prepare for their return to Europa League action.
Aaron Cresswell said: “We’ve had that challenge over the previous six weeks too. The main thing is we’ve got to be mentally prepared and mentally right, and recover as best we can in the short space of time. We want to be playing in these competitions and challenge ourselves against these teams.”
This stance is nothing new at West Ham with Moyes keen to stress how much he is enjoying leading the team in continental competition.
David Moyes said: “We want European football — I wish it was the Champions League because it would mean we had Wednesday-Saturday (fixtures) — but if we’re getting Thursday-Sunday, I’m taking that all day long. We’re loving being in the European competition. I’d like to be in European football after Christmas time, that’s my goal.”
Moyes has already hit that goal with a top-two finish in Group H confirmed, however a win against Rapid Vienna will secure first place and avoid a play-off against a third-placed Champions League team. With so many fixtures in the coming weeks, topping the group is a priority for West Ham as they prepare for the trip to Austria.
