West Ham United qualified for a European competition only for the ninth time in the club’s history and they kick-start the Europa League campaign on Thursday, with a trip to Stadion Maksimir to face Dinamo Zagreb.
The Croatian champions dropped to the second tier of the European competition after losing to Sheriff Tiraspol in the Champions League qualifiers.
Ahead of the Zagreb based club’s clash against the Hammers, Dnevno interviewed Dinamo legend Stjepan Deverić, who had two spells with the club between 1970s and 1990s.
The former striker was part of the Dinamo squad that won the first title in over two decades in 1982.
Deverić believes his old club’s run across all competitions in recent months, one that saw them suffer only two defeats since May, suggests Dinamo Zagreb don’t have to worry about David Moyes’ side for the midweek clash.
“I think you can, you just don’t need to feel fear. Look, that Tottenham was stronger than this team. The English, if they do not play in the Champions League, still do not play the matches of other European matches at the same level as their championship. It’s always been that way.”
“Secondly, their rhythm is much more intense than ours. Here they just subconsciously hide, retreat. At least, these are great professionals, I’m talking about the subconscious mind that every player has, and which knows how to overtake him.”
“Dinamo should only reach the level of form that it has already reached if we look at the match in Osijek. More precisely, it should support it. Such a Dinamo is an obvious danger for West Ham.”
We’ll know is less than 48 hours whether or not West Ham will pose any threat to their next opponent on Thursday.
