Bilic - Our first target is 40 points

 

Slaven Bilic is expecting another tough encounter when the Hammers face West Brom on Saturday but is hoping to see his side move a step closer to the crucial 40 point mark.

The Hammers will be looking for revenge following the 4-2 defeat at the Hawthorns back in September and come into the game full of confidence following the impressive win over Southampton last Saturday.

The victory moved West Ham up to ninth in the table and are now just five points behind Saturday's opponents.

Bilic knows the importance of getting another victory before the team prepare for a short break due to the Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round ties being played next weekend.

Bilic
The Hammers boss knows the dangers that Tony Pulis side will pose on Saturday and says his team will have to be at their very best once again if they are to come away with the right result at London Stadium.

Bilic said: “They are doing great, their whole season has been quite amazing for their standards.

“Even the games they lost, and there are few of them, like against Chelsea, it was a hard one for Chelsea. They are very hard to beat, very dangerous, compact, organised and that is what you get with Tony Pulis.

“They have a great balance in the team with experience and organisation, but also with the stamina of the players and the individual quality of the players.

“The players up front are physically strong, very pacy, strong in transition and also very versatile.”

With the Hammers moving into the top half of the Premier League, Bilic will be hoping they can cement their position in the top ten and move even higher up the table.

But the West Ham manager says he has only got one target on his mind for the time being and that is to ensure they reach the 40 point mark in the coming weeks.

Bilic added: “It is the first target, we have a few targets of course. Not only us. There is no point talking about target number two or number three before you reach your first target which is 40 points. We have a hell of a lot to do to reach it.”