Although their elimination from the UEFA Europa League (UEL) is already guaranteed, Serbian outfit TSC Bačka Topola will be determined to extend their European campaign into the spring. Rock bottom of Group A after failing to win any of their first four matches (D1, L3), TSC can still drop into the UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL) via a third-placed finish, but that chance may disappear if they fail to beat West Ham here.
Žarko Lazetić’s men come into this clash, their first-ever home H2H against English opposition, on the back of a seriously impressive 4-0 victory over league leaders Partizan Belgrade on Saturday. TSC will be desperate to replicate that kind of display, especially the clean sheet considering they’ve conceded 2+ goals in all four group games, including a 5-0 thumping at Freiburg in their last UEL outing.
West Ham make their maiden trip to Serbia at the Group A summit after beating Olympiacos on matchday four, the first in a series of three successive victories in all competitions for David Moyes’ men. The Scot was far from happy with his side’s display in beating Burnley 2-1 on Saturday, although their two late goals did ensure their run of three consecutive defeats on the road came to an end.
The reigning UECL champions could now win four games on the spin for the first time since October 2022, and that would also secure their progression to the knockout stages of this year’s UEL. Confidence is bound to be high, as West Ham have lost just one of their last 19 European matches, a run that includes winning seven of their previous nine continental matches on the road (D1, L1).
Players to watch: TSC’s Aleksandar Ćirković has scored in successive league matches for the Serbian outfit, both of which arrived inside the opening three minutes! Midfield rival Tomáš Souček has found the net in four consecutive matches for club and country, contrastingly though, three have arrived in the 88th minute or later.
Hot stat: West Ham have led at half-time in just two of their last eight matches (HT: D4, L2).
