Nathan Trott and his West Ham United Premier League 2 Under 23 teammates first ever Checkatrade Trophy contest will be a difficult tie, according to midfielder Moses Makasi.
The young Hammers face Coventry City at the Ricoh Arena on Tuesday in the newly formatted competition, which this season includes 16 Premier League 2 U23 sides.
It is unknown if Bermuda’s other player Djair Parfitt-Williams will make his season debut, as he continues his programme back from injury.
West Ham have been joined by the likes of Chelsea, Everton, Leicester City and Southampton in entering one of their young outfits, and the Hammers have been drawn in a group with Wycombe Wanderers and Northampton, as well as the Sky Blues.
And Makasi admitted he does not know what to expect of U23 sides in the tournament this season.
“It’s hard to know how we or other sides will do against senior teams,” he said. “Tuesday will be a difficult game, because they will feel that they’re bigger and more physical than us and will feel like they have advantages at things like set pieces.
“But hopefully our technical ability comes out on top. We just want to go into the game with confidence.
“We’re very excited, because playing against a first team, a senior team, is something different for us as a squad. It’s a chance to challenge ourselves against a very different opposition.
“In a cup competition, you have so few chances to impress and do well and you don’t want to lose, so I’m sure both sides will be entering the match with high hopes.”
West Ham began their Premier League 2 campaign with two wins but were beaten away at Swansea City on Friday.
The game, played at the Welsh side’s Liberty Stadium, was a great experience for Makasi and his teammates though, stated the 20-year-old.
“Both teams went into the game wanting to win the match and we hoped that we could get the three points,” he continued. “Obviously we lost the match, but we played well so we want to take the positives from that now looking forward to the game against Coventry.
“It was good playing in the middle with Alfie Lewis and we dominated possession in the match, particularly in the first half. Alfie is only 16 so for him, it was a great experience playing in the game.
“I’m here to help him out and he knows that, so we want to dominate the ball in up and coming matches like we did against Swansea City.
“It’s also a great experience to play at big stadiums like the Ricoh and like Swansea’s Liberty Stadium. We don’t get that opportunity too often, so obviously it’s good for us. It’s a night game on Tuesday and all eyes will be on the game.”
