West Ham United's quest to reach the Europa League group stage continues on Thursday when they host Romanian side Astra Giurgiu in the first leg of their third-round qualifier.
The Hammers edged past Maltese minnows Birkirkara in the last round, while Astra earned a narrow aggregate triumph over Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
West Ham
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West Ham United were almost on the end of a huge shock in the last round of Europa League qualifying as they squeezed past Maltese outfit Birkirkara on penalties following a 1-1 aggregate draw.
The Hammers lost the second leg 1-0 in Ta' Qali, but they managed to book their place in the third round by keeping their cool when the tie was decided from the spot.
Slaven Bilic admitted after the match that it would have been embarrassing if his players had been dumped out of the competition by such lowly opposition. Needless to say, the Croatian will be expecting a more emphatic performance from his side against Astra.
West Ham have played two friendlies since their last competitive outing, with a 1-0 victory over Norwich City coming after a goalless draw with Charlton Athletic.
As highlighted by those results, one area of concern for the team this summer has been a lack of goals. They have found the net just once in their last four matches.
Despite his side's struggles in the final third, Bilic will be expecting them to earn themselves a solid first-leg advantage ahead of their trip to Romania for the return tie. Things rarely go that smoothly at West Ham, though it would be a surprise if they failed to gain the initiative on Thursday.
Recent form: WWWW
Recent form (all competitions): WWLWDW
Astra Giurgiu
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Romanian side Astra Giurgiu head to Upton Park having already knocked out a British team in the second round of qualifying in the form of Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
There was little to separate the clubs over two legs, but it was Astra who advanced thanks to a narrow 1-0 aggregate triumph.
With their national league season already underway, Marius Sumudica's men will arrive in East London with more competitive match practice than their opponents. Astra currently sit in sixth place in the Liga I standings thanks to four points from three games.
Astra reached the group stage of a European tournament for the first time in their history last season by causing an upset against Lyon in the Europa League qualifying playoffs. However, a struggle for positive results in the group stage saw them exit the competition early.
One quirk of the club is that they like to get through managers. In the past 19 years Astra have appointed and sacked 27 different coaches.
Recent form: WD
Recent form (all competitions): LDWLDW
Team News
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Summer signing Dimitri Payet is available for West Ham after serving a European suspension.
The Hammers are understood to have no fresh injury concerns ahead of the match, though James Tomkins is ineligible following his red card in the last round.
West Ham possible starting lineup:
Adrian; O'Brien, Collins, Cresswell; Amalfitano, Noble, Nolan, Jarvis, Kouyate; Payet, Zarate
Astra Giurgiu possible starting lineup:
Lung; Alves, Queiros, Maranhao, Gaman; Teixeira, Enache, Budescu, Seto; Boldrin, William
Head To Head
This will be the first time that the two teams have faced each other.
We say: West Ham 2-0 Astra Giurgiu
West Ham will be eager to avoid the drama that they experienced in the last round of qualifying, so expect Slaven Bilic's side to adopt a more ruthless approach for the first leg against Astra. While a glut of goals may not materialise, a healthy first-leg advantage would be satisfactory for the Hammers. The visitors could well make life difficult for their Premier League hosts, but it would be a big surprise if they left Upton Park with any kind of positive result.
Jack Prescott
