West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo on Burnley clash, Alex Disasi debut and team news
Many have already written off Burnley in their fight for survival, but if they’re to give themselves any hope – they simply must beat West Ham this weekend.
The Clarets welcome their fellow strugglers to Turf Moor on Saturday looking to issue a reaction to Monday night’s dismal 3-0 defeat at Sunderland.
The result leaves Scott Parker’s side 11 points adrift of safety with only 14 games remaining.
The Hammers aren’t doing so well themselves, sitting a further five points ahead of Burnley. They have, however, picked up in recent weeks, winning two of their last three Premier League encounters.
Since then, they bolstered their ranks on deadline day with the acquisition of defender Alex Disasi on loan from Chelsea, although Lucas Paqueta departed to join Brazilian side Flamengo.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side will also be without centre-back Jean-Clair Todibo, who will serve the first of his three-match ban following his straight red against Chelsea last week.
The Hammers boss spoke to the media earlier today to look ahead to Saturday’s encounter – here’s a selection of what he had to say:
Burnley clash
“We know that every game [in the Premier League] is going to be very tough. Burnley are a good team, and they are fighting for the same objective as us. They are at home, so we know it’s a tough game ahead of us.
“You just have to look at the messages that have come from Scott Parker and from players like Kyle Walker. They say they’re going to react, so we have to be ready for that.
“There is a lot of football still to be played, but we have to realise that this game means a lot for us. It especially means a lot after last week, because we have to react to what happened against Chelsea.”
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Team news
“[We have] some problems that we have to assess.
“We still have tomorrow [Friday] and players that we need to see carefully and then decide, but with the exception of Todibo, who is going to be out because of the red card, everyone else is available, hopefully.”
Alex Disasi ready to make his debut?
“That's what we are assessing, and we [will] decide tomorrow.
“I think he's been working. He's in a good place physically. He's been working physically hard at Chelsea, and I see him doing well.
“Of course, he has to now get inside of the team and know his teammates, but I think he can help us.
“He's a strong defender, good on the ball, and a good option.”
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