Lukasz Fabianski says confidence will be key to West Ham overcoming a 2 goal deficit tonight.

Their European tour has seen West Ham overcome some amazing odds, but tonight’s game against Bayer Leverkusen is the toughest challenge they’ve faced yet.

To go through they’ve got to score a minimum of two goals (and then win on penalties), something that won’t be easy against a side that’s undefeated in their last 43 games. Despite everything being against the Hammers, goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski is confident that his side have what it takes to do the unthinkable.

“It’s a nice challenge to have, but a very demanding challenge,” FabiaÅ„ski told the media. “But I think we have to believe [we can win] and there’s no other way to look at the situation.”

“In the first leg, I think there were certain moments where we were defending, and there were some moments where we were not brave enough in possession of the ball. I don’t think we used the [ball] well, and hopefully we can recognise those situations a bit better and put more pressure on the opposition on Thursday.”

“They [Leverkusen] are in a very strong position when it comes to their confidence as a team, being unbeaten in the league and having already been crowned German [Bundesliga] champions. But we also know our quality, and have to believe.”

Even though Areola is back in training, Fabianski is expected to keep his place as cup keeper tonight on his 39th birthday. While he is almost certainly nearing retirement, he has still shown what a sensational keeper he is in recent games and he is hopeful that tonight won’t be his last “special occasion”.

“I am getting older,” he joked, who celebrates his 39th birthday today. “But I feel very good both physically and mentally. I believe that in general I am in very good shape and am in a good place when it comes to the team, so hopefully I have a few more special occasions in my career.”

“Leverkusen are a very good side and they have proved that in recent games and during the whole season, but I would say we have to believe.

“We have already experienced some games under pressure when it comes to European competitions in the previous rounds and years, so sometimes we manage to create special and magical evenings as well, and hopefully this will be a similar situation.”

There is one thing that has given West Ham fans hope for the game and that’s their experience. They’ve witnessed their team come back from defeat in the first leg against ferocious opposition before and the Polish keeper says this could give them the edge.

“The confidence we can take from the experiences we have had as a group [is huge],” FabiaÅ„ski added. “Hopefully, that experience will help us prepare mentally in a good way for the game.”

“I think the gameplan needs to be smart – you can’t go too crazy from the first minute. They are a good team, a strong team, and you need to be smart [and attack] in the right moments.”

“We have to believe and it is a good challenge to have. We have experienced some games like this in Europe when it comes to the pressure and you don’t have to rush. You have to first and foremost focus on controlling the tempo of the game. Then, choose the right moments to attack. We don’t have to rush anything; we have to be patient, and then take our opportunities.”