- Hammers star Manuel Lanzini will hope to continue his great form against Crystal Palace on Saturday
- The Argentine has scored three times in as many games against the Eagles
- Slaven Bilic’s men will hope a good result against Palace can act as a turning point in their season as it did earlier in the campaign
West Ham United midfielder Manuel Lanzini hopes to continue his incredible record against Crystal Palace on Saturday with another goal against the Eagles in the vital Premier League London derby.
The Argentine, who joked that Saturday’s opponents are probably fed up of facing him, has scored in each of his three appearances against Palace, a side who visit London Stadium in need of a win on Saturday.
The game is just as crucial for Slaven BIlic’s Hammers however, as Lanzini explained when he sat down with West Ham TV ahead of the clash.
“This is a game that we need to win and it’s a very important one,” the 23-year-old said. “But of course we know that it will be a tricky game.
“It’s amazing that I’ve scored three goals against Palace and I’ve been lucky enough to have done so, but I approach the games like I do any other game, and every game is important.
“I’ve been lucky enough to score three against them and they’re probably fed up of playing against me! Let’s hope [for another on Saturday]!”
The Hammers’ 1-0 win at Selhurst Park in October – in which Lanzini bagged the crucial strike – was labelled by manager Bilic as a big turning point in the first half of the campaign.
And without a win in two Premier League matches, Lanzini and his teammates hope Saturday’s encounter can be a similar boost to the Club’s season.
I’ve been lucky enough to score three against Crystal Palace and they’re probably fed up of playing against me! - let’s hope [for another on Saturday]!
Manuel Lanzini
“I hope that this game, like that last one [against them] can happen again and be a big turning point for us,” he continued. “I think this game gives us a chance to get back on track.
“The year hasn’t started as we expected that it would, but of course we know that this can change and this game is the opportunity to do just that. We’re working very hard in training and we’re full of confidence.
“I remember the goal against them [last time] – it was a great goal. It was a lovely piece of play building up to it involving lots of passing. Then Aaron [Cresswell] put in the cross and I managed to score and overall it was a great performance as well.
“We played well as a team and put them under a lot of pressure and that’s exactly how we would like to play [on Saturday].
“On a personal level, of course I like scoring goals and helping the team win so I hope that we can have the same result as last time.”
West Ham’s new home has already been the scene of some memorable matches, including the all-London encounter in the EFL Cup against Chelsea in which the hosts were 2-1 winners.
And ahead of the new Stadium’s third London derby, Lanzini expressed the importance of the supporters in getting behind the team.
He said: “Having the fans behind us is always very important and we know that they support us, and that motivates us. We know that if we play well, we will have their support and our confidence increases and we’ll be able to play better as a team.
“As a team, we have quality. If you look at the players we have here, we are capable of doing better than we have been doing.
“We did get a few wins on the bounce and we need to replicate that and get on another winning run which will increase the confidence around the whole club.”