Blackburn Rovers midfielder Sammie Szmodics will get to live the dream of playing against his boyhood club West Ham United in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night.
The Hammers play host to Championship side Blackburn in the third round at the London Stadium, a ground very familiar for the ex-Peterborough United playmaker.
Szmodics was a season-ticket holder last season at West Ham’s home stadium, with many of their games being on Thursdays and Sundays, not clashing with the Posh’s matches in the Championship.
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Colchester-born Szmodics had been at Peterborough until this summer when shortly after renewing his West Ham season ticket, moved to Blackburn.
Looking forward to playing against the side he supports, Szmodics is relishing the opportunity and joked that he has so many family and friends attending that they will have their own section in the ground.
"I think so," said Szmodics. "I think I will need one end of the stadium because family and friends will be coming.
"I wasn't watching and my phone was vibrating and vibrating. I thought 'who needs to get hold of me this much?'
"Dacky (Bradley Dack) put in the group chat 'Irons', to see it away from home, going back to where I'm from and as a supporter myself, it was fantastic. I have a season ticket up there but I sell it now, it couldn't have been a better draw for me.
"They were in Europe last year so they played Thursday and Sunday so I went to the games. The move to Blackburn came from nowhere so I'd already renewed it.
"It's a game I am really looking forward to. To play in the Premier League would be amazing but to play West Ham would be incredible."
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