West Ham United well prepared for Greek test says defender

And following the weekend’s dismal 4-1 defeat against Aston Villa, Athens-born Konstantinos Mavropanos returns home insisting that the Hammers have already put that loss behind them.

“Sunday was a bad day and we certainly didn’t want that result at Villa Park,” said the 22-cap Greek international, who looks set to make only his fifth appearance in Claret and Blue since August’s £18 million transfer from Stuttgart.

“We need to forget about that game and now just focus on tonight’s match.

“We are well-prepared to give our best against Olympiacos and, for me, it’s always a good feeling to come home to Greece to play.

“When the whistle blows, I will be trying very hard for West Ham United.

“Before I went to Germany, it had been good to join Arsenal and play under Arsène Wenger as a 20-year-old but it was always a target for me to come back to the Premier League.

“West Ham had only just won the UEFA Europa Conference League so I didn’t have to think too much about joining them in the summer and it’s really good whenever I get an opportunity to play in David Moyes’ team.

“Olympiacos have got some good individual players and we will need to take care of them, while they are good on the counter-attack, too.

“But our set-pieces are going to be important for us just like they have been in many of our other games this season and we will follow the plans of our coach to try to make it difficult for our opponents, too.”

The towering, six-foot, four-inch central defender is also expecting the Hammers to face a hostile reception when they walk out at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium this evening.

“My father was just a general football fan so although we went to watch many matches, I didn’t follow any specific team,” added the 25-year-old.

“But the supporters are always very passionate and the atmosphere at any football stadium in Greece is always amazing.”

Mavropanos became the Hammers’ first-ever Greek player, when he made his debut in their opening Group A victory over Serbian outfit TSC Bačka Topola last month.

“In European competition, though, the fans always seem to respect their opponents and, remember, we will have our own supporters back behind us giving us energy, too,” he said.

*Olympiacos v West Ham United kicks off at 5.45pm tonight.