Late last December, West Ham United travelled to Arsenal for a Premier League fixture few Hammers expected their team to win.
The Gunners were unbeaten at home all season and were top of the table, but the Irons produced a near-perfect away performance to win 2-0.
The scorer of West Ham’s second goal that evening, and part of the defence which resisted everything Arsenal could throw at them, was Dinos Mavropanos, who produced arguably his finest display in a Claret and Blue shirt against his former club.
Nine months on, West Ham travel to Liverpool for a Carabao Cup third-round tie few Hammers expect their team to win, but the Greece defender is out to confound those expectations again and help Julen Lopetegui’s side reach the last-16.
“I think every game is difficult so we are looking at the game against Liverpool the same way we look at every single one – we have to look for ourselves, work on ourselves and I think, if we can perform at the level that we want to, we can beat everyone,” said the No15, who believes a positive performance and result at Anfield can kickstart the Hammers’ season after Saturday’s 3-0 home Premier League defeat by Chelsea at London Stadium.
“After the game against Chelsea, the game against Liverpool can really be a key for us ahead of the game against Brentford in the Premier League [on Saturday] because it can really bring our confidence back, because as soon as you get it, you can perform.
“Of course it is a tough week, but these are the games that can change our confidence and belief. We work really hard and these are the games that can bring us success.
“We go into each game and each place to win. We don’t just go to Anfield to play a game and come home. Our target is to get the best result.
“The start of the season for the team hasn’t been what we wanted, so it could be better. We are working really hard and it is our target to bounce back in the upcoming games and show our strength.”
Mavropanos also had a word of reassurance for the Claret and Blue Army, of whom nearly 6,000 will make the journey to Merseyside on Wednesday, hoping their team can produce a much-improved performance from the weekend.
“I can totally understand them because I had the same disappointment after the game, but it is just the start of the season,” he concluded. “We have to keep patient and we always need our fans next to us, as always.”
Wednesday’s Carabao Cup third-round tie at Liverpool will be broadcast live in the UK by Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Ultra HDR, kicking off at 8pm.
