Former Arsenal defender makes honest Conference League prediction ahead of West Ham vs Silkeborg

West Ham United top their UEFA Europe Conference League group and after reaching the Europa League semi-finals last season, Nigel Winterburn has said they can do the same this campaign

Kadeem Simmonds

11:45, 27 Oct 2022

West Ham United will want to replicate last season's success in Europe by going on another run in this year's UEFA Europe Conference League, according to former Arsenal defender Nigel Winterburn.

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David Moyes' Hammers side take on Silkeborg in the group stages having won all four of their games so far and secured passage to the knockout stages.

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A win in Thursday night's game at the London Stadium will guarantee top spot in Group B. With a congested season due to the 2022 Qatar World Cup being played in winter, teams are having to juggle squads even more than usual and prioritise games and competitions more than ever.

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However, Winterburn believes that West Ham will want to get themselves into the best position possible in both the Premier League and Europe before the month-long break, and after reaching the semi-finals of the Europa League last season, they will be eyeing another successful run in Europe this term.

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"Well, they will do because they had a taste of it in the Europa League last season coming so close," Winterburn told FreeSuperTips. "They'll also know that the league position gets you back into the European competitions.

"They'll be saying inside the dressing room that they haven't been at their very best, but there's still a lot of time to catch up which is true. But they've got to put it right quickly and the conundrum for every club will be that in under a month's time we're closed down until Boxing Day.

"I just don't know how that's going to work if I'm honest, it will be a strange situation for all clubs. I think you want to get yourself into the best position you possibly can before the break, then you have to hit the ground running after that World Cup.

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"The teams playing catch up can't afford to make any slip-ups and there will be huge pressure on Liverpool for example after the World Cup. They're already trying to play catch up and I'm sure West Ham will not want to be in a similar position."

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