West Ham United will be looking to build some form this weekend as they host a struggling Sunderland side. The Hammers themselves have been struggling recently, having secured just seven points in the league so far.

Slaven Bilic’s team will be hoping for a win on Saturday, following on from their previous victory at Selhurst Park against Crystal Palace. The irons were 1-0 winners in South London, thanks to an early strike courtesy of Manuel Lanzini.

Lanzini looks for further success

The Argentine spoke to the club's official website following his match winner last week, as he looked ahead to tomorrow’s clash with Sunderland, “I'm very happy and we needed the three points. We were coming into the game off the back of some poor results and had made a bad start to the season.

Lanzini declared as he reflected on the win against Palace – he continued to express the importance of continuing the winning feeling, “We managed to get the win in what was a tough game and we have to carry on in this vein.”

West Ham have struggled this season, particularly at home. The Hammers made the move to the London Stadium from their beloved Boleyn Ground in the summer, unfortunately the transition has not been as simple as hoped.

Bilic lead West Ham to a sixth place finish last season, recording their highest ever points tally in the Premier League. Because of the clubs’ success and progression last season, Lanzini completed a permanent move to East London, and now looks for further success in his career.

The dynamic attacker revealed that it is his dream to play for Argentina, as he looks to capture the attention of national team boss, Edgardo Bauza. “I'm always striving for that because it's my target and dream to play for the national team,” concluded Lanzini to whufc.com. Lanzini scored six goals in claret and blue last season, and despite West Ham’s poor collective form, he already has two to his name in this campaign.

Zaza battles in the rain. | Source: getty/
Zaza battles in the rain. | Source: getty/Charlie Crowhurst

Zaza hopes to build upon last weeks performance

Simone Zaza also spoke to the club's website ahead of the Sunderland game.

It has taken the Italian international some time to settle into life at West Ham, however the striker seems to have won the backing of both Bilic and the West Ham supporters.

Speaking after the Crystal Palace win, Zaza admitted that he has struggled with adapting to the unique nature of the Premier League: “The manager told me after that he had seen the ‘Real Zaza’ and yes, yes, I agree with that. I knew that when I arrived it would be hard, because it’s a completely different league, but I didn’t think it would be this different.

Zaza had a particularly good performance at Selhurst Park last weekend, and is of course hoping to continue that level of performance this weekend: “Of course I want my first goal to come and Saturday would be a great time for that to happen, particularly as we’re playing at home.” Zaza is yet to score in a West Ham shirt, however with Sunderland struggling to step up this season, it would seem the perfect opportunity for him to break the deadlock.

It’s been a season of disappointment so far for West Ham, can the Hammers end their woeful home form with a win tomorrow?

VAVEL Logo
About the author