Michail Antonio Admits West Ham Players Are Desperate to Beat Spurs for the Fans
West Ham United winger Michail Antonio is adamant his side will step up their game when Tottenham Hotspur visit the London Stadium on Saturday.
The Hammers have somewhat revived their treacherous start to the season after picking up their first points of the campaign in their previous two Premier League fixtures, as well as continuing that good run of home form with a 3-0 win over lacklustre Bolton Wanderers in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night.
The Irons have a strong record against this weekend's visitors in east London, with two consecutive victories in the top flight, and Slaven Bilic's side will be hoping they can turn that into a hat-trick for the first time since November 1998.
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A key player in West Ham's 1-0 win over Spurs during the 2015/16 term was Antonio, whose early near-post header was the catalyst for the beginning of the end to the north Londeners' title chances.
Even though the clash is less high-profile this time around, the 27-year-old still believes his team will make it a tough occasion for Mauricio Pochettino's men and give the London Stadium faithful something to be proud of.
“We always turn up against Spurs", the semi-professional academy graduate told talkSPORT. "It’s a massive occasion and we always want to do it for the fans."
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West Ham seem to have turned a corner in recent times, with three wins in a row lifting them from the foot of the Premier League table and securing their passage into the fourth round of the Carabao Cup, and Antonio is confident the Hammers will continue their progression this weekend.
“It shows in the last three games, and hopefully we can keep building on it and moving forwards”, the Wandsworth-born winger added.
“With the bad start we had, the last three games have been positive. So hopefully we can build on that, score more goals, and I can get on the scoresheet myself.”
The wide-man has failed to find the back of the net since March, however after converting the winner against Spurs previously, the Englishman will be hoping history can repeat itself and he can break his six-month barren spell.
