Cresswell cannot wait to make home debut

cressy
Aaron Cresswell has been counting the days until he can make his first appearance at London Stadium and will finally get his chance when he lines up against Chelsea in the EFL Cup tonight.

Cresswell was forced to miss the opening game at the new Stadium after suffering knee ligament damage during the Club's pre-season tour to Austria.

The talented full-back was expected to be ruled out for four months but he has made a speedy recovery and made an impressive comeback in the 1-0 win over Crystal Palace where he helped set up the winning goal for Manuel Lanzini.

Cresswell's return was marred by a harsh dismissal late in the game which forced him to miss the victory over Sunderland on Saturday.

But he is now ready to make his first appearance at home this evening and says he cannot wait to play at the Hammers new Stadium.

Cresswell said: “From my point of view this is one I have been looking forward to for the last few months and I cannot wait to get out there and play at London Stadium. It will be fantastic for me to be playing at home again.

“We have had some big games under the lights and this will be the first London derby to be played at London Stadium. I'm sure the fans are looking forward to it.

“I am a little bit gutted that I missed the first ever game there having missed just one game in the last two-years. But that is part and parcel of football and I have learned to move on from that.

“To make my home debut against Chelsea in the new Stadium is one I am now looking forward to.”

Cresswell is hoping the Hammers can maintain their recent good run of form and make it three wins in a row as the Club look to book their place in the quarter finals of the EFL Cup.

Winston Reid's last minute winner against Sunderland on Saturday has set the team up nicely for the big London derby and Cresswell knows they will have to be at their best once again if they are to beat a Chelsea side who are also full of confidence following their emphatic victory over Manchester United on Sunday.

Cresswell added: “We have had a slow start but in recent weeks we have turned it around and we got a massive win against Sunderland.

“The main thing is that the boys and the gaffer are fully committed to the cause and we want to put things right. We have picked up seven points from the last three games and long may that continue.

“We have now got a tough game against Chelsea which we know is not going to be easy, but we are all looking forward to it.

“I saw Chelsea's game against Manchester United on Sunday and they were excellent.

“It always helps if you can win a big London derby and it will give us even more confidence.”

Cresswell knows one of the keys to winning the game could be stopping former Hammers Victor Moses who has been one of the star performers for the west London Club this season.

Moses enjoyed a successful season-long loan at West Ham and Cresswell knows the dangers he could pose to his side.

“Victor was here last season and is a fantastic player. It looks like he has found a new lease of life under Conte and we know what he is capable of. We need to try and stop him.”

Having made such a successful return to action in the victory over Palace, Cresswell hopes he can re-produce his best form once again and says he would relish the chance to play as a wing-back if Slaven Bilic keeps faith with the system which has seen the club win the last two games.

“I felt really good after the Palace game and adrenalin got me through most of it. I had not played any games prior to that and I was anxious that I was going to last the 90 minutes – obviously I didn't because of the sending-off!

“But I felt really good and that is down to Dom, Eamon and all the medical staff who helped me come back and I owe a lot to them. Getting the three points was the most important thing and that is what we got.

“The new system has worked well over the last two games and it is a system that I like to play. It helps me to get forward and create things with Dimi and Lanzini.”