West Ham United v FK TSC Bačka Topola
UEFA Europa League Group A, London Stadium, Thursday 21 September 2023, 8pm BST
European football returns to London Stadium for a third consecutive campaign as West Ham United face FK TSC on Thursday evening.
An unforgettable triumph in the UEFA Europa Conference League last season also granted the Hammers a place in the 2023/24 Europa League, with David Moyes’ side in Group A for the group stages.
A first test of the competition will put the Irons up against a FK TSC team that are competing at this stage of the tournament for the first time in their history. By finishing as Serbian SuperLiga runners-up last season, the club qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time, where they were beaten 1-7 on aggregate by Braga of Portugal to drop them into the Europa League group stage.
Tickets…
Tickets for Thursday’s UEFA Europa League group stage opener are now on General Sale!
Tickets start at just £35 for Adults and £15 for Under-18s, respectively, with the Irons welcoming European football to east London for a third successive campaign.
Do not miss out on your chance to be at London Stadium for our European opener. Get your tickets now by clicking here, calling us on 0333 030 1966 or visiting us in person at the London Stadium Ticket Office.
Travel…
TfL services to Stratford are expected to run largely as normal on Thursday with the Central, Jubilee and Elizabeth Line all scheduled to operate with a good service.
London Overground will be partially closed on Thursday evening, however, with no services westbound from Stratford to Camden Road after 11:45pm.
Overnight engineering works on the C2C line between London Fenchurch Street and Upminster will also affect footfall at Stratford station, with travellers advised to divert onto either the Jubilee Line or Docklands Light Railway to continue their journeys.
Click here to plan your journey on the Transport for London network, or here for National Rail services.
How To Follow…
Thursday's tie will be broadcast live in the UK by TNT Sports. More information on how to watch can be found by clicking here.
You can also follow the action via our live blog on whufc.com and our app and across our social channels.
Moment Of Silence…
There will be a moment of silence held prior to kick-off across all UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League matches on Thursday 21 September, in memory of the victims of the tragic earthquake in Morocco as well as the victims of the floods in Libya.
The thoughts of everyone at West Ham United are with the people of Morocco and Libya at this difficult time.
Official Programme…
You can order your edition of the Official Programme for West Ham United v FK TSC Bačka Topola now here!
The 116-page publication is the largest in the Premier League and, at just £4 per issue, represents superb value for money for supporters wanting exclusive interviews, attention-grabbing opinions and eye-catching photographs, plus the regular news, columns and statistics and insightful content from across all areas of the Club.
Thilo Kehrer is the main interview in this Official Programme, with the German recalling the Hammers’ UEFA Europa Conference League triumph last season and his work with his foundation, which is committed to education and supporting young people, youth welfare and sport in Burundi.
Team News…
Manager David Moyes will be hoping his team came through Saturday’s Premier League match with Manchester City unscathed.
The return to European football could give the manger the chance to rotate the squad, as the games begin to pile up as the season progresses.
One player definitely unavailable for the Hammers on Thursday is Edson Álvarez. The Mexican has a one-match suspension carried over from his time at Ajax which needs to be served, and therefore he will be unavailable at home to FK TSC Bačka Topola.
Opposition…
In FK TSC, West Ham United will welcome the second-oldest football club in the Serbian SuperLiga to London Stadium on Thursday evening.
Formed in 1913 as Topolyai Sport Club and owned by the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the side now known as FK TSC has gone through numerous iterations and name changes as history took shape.
After the First World War, the team became Jugoslovenski Atletski Klub in 1930 to reflect its standing in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. The side briefly became Topolyai SE between 1942-1945 before being renamed FK Egység following the Second World War.
While going through a series of name changes, the club played in the Yugoslavian and then Serbian Leagues following independence and was finally promoted to the SuperLiga for the first time in 2017.
Recent seasons has seen a level of success that FK TSC fans have previously not been familiar with. Promotion to the Serbian First League – the second division in Serbian football – was achieved in 2017, before a first-ever promotion to the SuperLiga in 2019.
The Serbian side find themselves in the Europa League group stages for the first time in their history, after qualifying for the Champions League third qualifying round by finishing second in the SuperLiga last season. Defeat to Braga in those games put FK TSC within the Europa League groups.
Under the guidance of head coach Žarko Lazetić, fans will be hoping for continued success for FK TSC.
Previous Meetings…
It may not be a total surprise to learn that Thursday’s match will be the first time the Hammers have met FK TSC in any competition.
However, it is also the first time that the Irons have played a side from Serbia too.
There are few links between the Hammers and Serbia, although young striker Luka Belic did join West Ham from Serbian side OFK Beograd in 2015. He now plays for Greek side AO Poros.
Match Officials...
Referee: Filip Glova (Slovakia)
Assistant Referees: Daniel Polacek and Peter Bednar (Slovakia)
Fourth Official: Michal Ocenáš (Slovakia)
VAR: Alejandro Hernández (Spain)
Assistant VAR: Dennis Higler (Netherlands)
The match officials for West Ham United’s two fixtures this week have been confirmed.
Thursday’s UEFA Europa League Group A match against FK TSC Bačka Topola will be officiated by Slovakian referee Filip Glova.
The 35-year-old from Košice has been a FIFA-registered referee since 2016 and regularly officiates in the Slovak First Football League, where he has taken charge of two games so far in the 2023/24 campaign.
He has refereed in England previously, taking charge of Arsenal’s UEFA Europa League group-stage win over Dundalk in October 2020.
Glova officiated the 2-2 draw between Allsvenskan team BK Häcken and Scottish Premiership side Aberdeen in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League qualifying rounds in August, and officiated seven matches in UEFA-recognised international competitions last season across the Champions League, Europa League, Europa Conference League and Nations League.
He has also taken charge of two finals in his career, refereeing the 2019/20 Slovnaft Cup final, which saw Slovan Bratislava win 1-0 against MFK Ruzomberok, and MSK Zilina's 3-2 victory over ViOn Zlate Moravce 2020/21 Fortuna Liga Conference League play-off final.
Click through here for more information on this Thursday's match officials.
