Assistant coach Billy McKinlay has said West Ham have what it takes to go far in the FA Cup this year ahead of Bristol City this weekend.
Our Hammers host the Robins at the London Stadium on Sunday in the 3rd Round of the competition, with belief that the squad we have is capable of going all the way to lift the trophy this year.
Despite it being a Championship side who are visiting, there of course is an air of caution with Bristol City bringing 9k fans to east London, in the hope that an upset can be realised.
“Bristol City will be a really difficult game,” McKinlay told the press, as reported by the clubs Official Website.
“I don’t think we will underestimate anybody here. We’ve had difficult games against Championship teams in the past few seasons in the cup competitions, and this will also be a challenging game.
“The FA Cup third round is a really important date in the calendar. It’s been so important to English football for such a long time and we’re excited for it. It’ll be a big day, and I think we’ve got close to a full house at London Stadium.”
The match could see the returns of many key players who have been absent of late, with the expectation that David Moyes will opt for a strong side, especially with a break in Premier League football for our Hammers.
“The gaffer will decide what team plays on Sunday over the next couple of days, and we’re looking forward to the game,” added McKinlay. “Vladimír Coufal, Kurt Zouma, Lucas Paquetá and Michail Antonio are being assessed and we’ll assess them after training on Saturday and make a decision after that.”