West Ham United will be looking to put their domestic struggles behind them as they face Gent in the quarter-finals of the Europa Conference League. Despite a difficult season in the Premier League, the Hammers have excelled in Europe and are bidding to reach the final four for a second successive season. However, their winning run was ended in the first leg of their quarter-final tie against Gent with a 1-1 draw, leaving things nicely poised for the second leg.
Last year, West Ham lost to eventual winners Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League semi-finals after a meltdown saw both manager David Moyes and defender Aaron Cresswell sent off and midfielder Declan Rice retroactively suspended. The draw at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland has now mapped out the club’s route to the final, should they avoid a similar slip-up against Gent.
The winners of Lech Poznan vs Fiorentina will meet one of Basel or Nice in the semi-finals, while the winners of Gent vs West Ham will face either AZ Alkmaar or Anderlecht. This creates the possibility of a showdown between West Ham and a number of former Premier League rivals plying their trade at Nice in the final. The Ligue 1 outfit have former Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel and ex-Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley on their books, as well as past and present Arsenal players Aaron Ramsey and Nicolas Pepe on loan.
The Europa Conference League quarter-final second leg games will be played on April 20, with the semi-final legs taking place on May 11 and 18, before the final on June 7 at the Fortuna Arena in Prague. West Ham will be hoping to continue their impressive form in Europe and put their domestic struggles behind them as they bid for silverware.