West Ham’s players are eyeing Thursday night’s Europa League clash with Olympiacos as a grudge match as they seek revenge for a hostile welcome in Greece a fortnight ago.
The Hammers saw their 17-match unbeaten run ended by a 2-1 defeat in Piraeus but remain top of Group A and victory in east London would take them to brink of the knockout stages.
Speaking ahead of the game, centre-back Angelo Ogbonna accused Olympiacos fans of a lack of respect after visiting players were targeted by lasers during the defeat in Greece, with West Ham also unimpressed by the manner of the home side’s celebrations at full-time.
“With the way they celebrated their win, maybe if we had the same win we would be a little bit more respectful but it is football,” Ogbonna said. “It is a little bit unfair to play with the lasers. As a British club we are more respectful with that part of the game but they are very passionate fans. That’s something you rarely see in football..
Asked whether he had himself been targeted with the lasers, Ogbonna said: “Yeah of course, everyone. The problem isn’t just for strikers, it’s for all the players, but that is in the past. We are focused for our game. Hopefully the lasers are going to be banned.”
Ogbonna is not the first Hammers player to suggest more than three points will be on the line when the Greek side visit the London Stadium tomorrow, with midfielder James Ward-Prowse this week warning Olympiacos can expect to meet a “different West Ham”.
“Yeah [it is a grudge match],” he told the Irons Cast podcast. “It wasn't a good performance from us, admittedly. We left a lot out there, which is a frustrating feeling to have.
“The way they reacted after they won the game – you could hear it down the corridor – we spoke about it and said it's a good opportunity coming to put that right and show them something. You could see a different West Ham, for sure. Evening games in general are more gritty, it has a bit more bite to it, so it'll be an interesting one on that Thursday against Olympiacos.”
Heading into the game in Athens, manager David Moyes had challenged his players to “embrace and enjoy” the hostile atmosphere and admitted that while home advantage could be vital to the return fixture, the London Stadium would have little chance of creating a similar environment.
"I have to say I don’t think there’d be another club in the UK who could’ve matched what Olympiacos was like,” he added. “There are some brilliant stadiums when they’re rocking, Anfield, Old Trafford. There are some great stadiums in our country.
“But I think we all enjoyed it greatly because it was an incredible atmosphere. We have an awful lot of good things in the Premier League but I don’t think we should get carried away thinking we have the best atmospheres because if you go and watch a lot of European games you’d be quite shocked with how good the crowds are, in Germany or even the games in Belgium we’ve been in. We weren’t shocked by Greece but I think it helped their team greatly, the support they had."
