Skipper Kurt Zouma believes West Ham United can take plenty of confidence from last weekend’s draw at home to Liverpool as they finalise their preparations for Sunday’s crucial clash away at his old club Chelsea.
The Hammers remain within touching distance of European qualification with three games of the 2023/24 season remaining, after earning a share of the spoils against the Reds thanks to Michail Antonio’s leveller in the wake of Jarrod Bowen’s first-half opener.
Anything other than victory at Stamford Bridge could knock David Moyes’ men out of the running, with seventh-placed Newcastle currently four points ahead having played one game fewer, while Chelsea moved into eighth with a 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday.
The Blues are in a rich vein of form, with just one defeat to their name in their last eleven games, but Zouma - who scored ten goals in 151 games for the west Londoners between 2014 and 2021 - is confident the Hammers are ready to replicate their 3-1 win in the sides’ most recent meeting last August.
“We’re feeling good, and we’re all going to give everything until the end of the season,” the 29-year-old said. “We’re still fighting to qualify for Europe, and we’ve got three cup finals left.
“Last week was a good result for us. We looked solid at the back and dangerous up front, particularly in the first half, and they’re a good side so we have to be pleased to have come back and got the point.
“There are many other teams around us in the table doing well, but we have to just focus on preparing ourselves, work hard, take each game as it comes, and do everything we can to get as many points as possible.”
Zouma has featured in 36 West Ham games in all competitions this season, scoring three goals, and has enjoyed the added responsibility of being captain having been handed the armband following Declan Rice’s departure last summer.
A consistent top-eight placing in the league and a run to the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals represent a season to be proud of for the France international, who is determined to finish with a flourish and keep building going forward.
He added: “There have been ups and downs, but we’ve played well and followed our plan, and ultimately I think we’ve done well.
“Football is my life, and I’m very lucky to be the captain of this amazing team, especially with a great group of players, top players, inside and outside the pitch.
“My focus now is on the last three games, then we will see where we are and how we can keep improving.”
