Goalkeeper Łukasz Fabiański is hoping to prolong his run of games in 2023/24 by helping West Ham United overturn a one-goal deficit in Thursday night’s UEFA Europa League round of 16 second leg at home to SC Freiburg.
The 38-year-old completed the full 90 minutes in the first instalment of the tie last week, when Michael Gregoritsch’s late strike powered the German Bundesliga outfit to a narrow 1-0 win at the Stadion am Wolfswinkel.
Having largely taken on cup duties since the summer, and so-far made six of his 15 appearances this season in the continental competition, Fabiański is eager to continue on the path towards 200 Hammers outings by progressing to the last eight.
And, after watching on from the bench when David Moyes’ men overcame a similar situation against Sevilla two years ago, the former Poland international is confident such experiences will stand the squad in good stead.
“Things have obviously been a bit different for me this season, playing more in the cups than in the league, and I’m just enjoying every opportunity that’s given to me,” said Fabiański, who has turned out for the Club 191 times in all competitions as it stands, in an interview for Thursday's Official Programme, which you can buy online here.
“I’ve loved it when the Europa League has returned every time this year, and I’ve enjoyed the challenge of having to keep myself ready and prepared to jump in when called upon.
“We enjoyed a good run in the group stage, including beating Freiburg twice, but the stakes are much higher in the knockout rounds and now we’ve got to come from behind, which we’ll be doing our best to do.”
Among the Irons’ longest-serving players, following his June 2018 arrival from Swansea City, Fabiański has been a huge part of West Ham’s success in recent years, helping the team secure European football, establish themselves on such a stage and then lift the UEFA Europa Conference League trophy last term.
With a Europa League quarter-final spot still up for grabs, and the side currently seventh in the Premier League table and in the hunt to qualify for a fourth successive campaign in Europe, he is clear about the progress he’s seen during his time at London Stadium.
He added: “I’ve been at the Club for a few years now, and I’ve seen how far we’ve all come. We’ve been through lots of ups and downs, through that process of challenging for Europe, challenging in Europe, and then of course winning the title.
“We’ve gained a lot of experience, and I think we’ve learned how to compete on a variety of fronts. I think we know how to manage the larger number of games, which is crucial for our development.
“I actually played in our first game in the Europa League against Dinamo Zagreb in September 2021. Since then, we have gained knowledge, but we’ve also brought in new players with experience of playing at the top level and for their countries as well.
“We’ve been able to attract those kinds of guys, which is an example of how we’ve developed. Hopefully, with everything combined, we can respond to defeat in the first leg in the right way, and get the job done in front of our supporters.”
