Danny Gabbidon says there is "no reason why we can't go all the way" as West Ham United prepare for the Carling Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday night.
The Welsh defender has been outstanding of late, forming a superb centre-back partnership with Matthew Upson. That said the duo are set for another tricky task against Everton, with the visitors boasting the in-form Yakubu along with the variation offered by fellow forwards Andrew Johnson, Victor Anichebe and James McFadden - not forgetting a talented midfield.
"It will be a tough game, Everton are doing really well and having to play them twice in a week isn't ideal," said Gabbidon, mindful the same opposition will also arrive for a league game at the Boleyn Ground on Saturday. "They have a lot of good players who I will be keeping an eye on as a defender.
"Mikel Arteta, in particular, is in great form, as is Tim Cahill who is very good in the air, Yakubu as well - they are all ones to watch but as a defensive back five we have been very solid of late so will not be planning to let that slip."
The club has always seen the Carling Cup as a winnable competition this season, and Gabbidon has had the belief since the participation began with a 2-1 victory at Bristol Rovers. "A lot of the bigger teams do still put out weaker teams in the early rounds of the competition because they have a strong enough squad to do so, so you could argue they still don't take it as serious until the later stages.
"It is definitely a competition we have attacked since the first round at Bristol and seen as a serious opportunity to win a trophy and get a European spot. If we win on Wednesday night then there is no reason why we can't go all the way.
"The competition will obviously be even tougher in the next round but we surprised everyone with how far we went in the FA Cup two seasons ago and very nearly won it so it shows anything is possible. There is 90 minutes of football to play first, or possibly more if it goes to extra time, so we need to get through that before we can think about the semi-finals."
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