West Ham United will be looking to avoid a giant killing in the third round of the English Football League Cup, as they welcome Accrington Stanley to the London Stadium.

Defying the odds

The Hammers' form in last season's League Cup competition was one of the few black marks on an otherwise excellent season, going out in the third round with a 2-1 defeat to eventual Premier League champions, Leicester City.

However Slaven Bilic's side will face a tough test as Accrington Stanley go into the tie having claimed a Premier League scalp in the second round, with a extra-time goal from Matty Pearson giving them a 1-0 win over Burnley.

Above: Reece Burke in the pre-match press conference ahead of West Ham's match with Astra Giurgiu | Photo: Getty Images
Reece Burke in the pre-match press conference ahead of West Ham's match with Astra Giurgiu | Photo: Getty Images

Eager to be involved

However the side's focus will be on their upcoming Europa League play-off with Astra Giurgiu.

Youngster Reece Burke started the first-leg which ended in a 1-1 draw, and the defender, who has just signed a new four-year deal, said that he is eager to take part in the vital second leg as they look to gain passage into the group stages.

"I hope to be involved against Astra as I did well in the first leg even though I was playing left-back,” he said in his pre-match conference.

“Hopefully I’ll get some more game time," he admitted to whufc.com. “I quite enjoyed playing at left-back to be fair, and it’s always good to play in different positions. If the gaffer asks me to do a job there, I’ll be more than happy to."

Burke was firm in telling the club's website: “It’s 100 per cent important that we progress and get through to the group stage. We of course want to do better than we did in the competition last year."

The 19-year-old added: “If I’m still at the Club and not on loan, the Europa League fixtures are a chance for me to get more appearances. It’s not guaranteed that we’re through though, so we have work to do in the second leg.”

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About the author
Danial  Kennedy
Award-winning sports journalism graduate. Currently studying a PR Masters at the University of Sunderland. Writing for VAVEL since August 2014. Twitter - @ddkjournalism.