Manager David Moyes called on his West Ham players to do their best in the Europa League against Bayer Leverkusen.
The Hammers face a daunting task as they look to stop the soon to be German champions from going the whole season unbeaten.
Leverkusen have not lost a single game this term, making them a favorite to go into the semi finals.
I see it as a great opportunity, I really do," Moyes stated pre-game.
We've had a pretty good run in Europe. The challenge we've got of a team who is 16 points clear in the Bundesliga, is a big one. But one hopefully we can rise to and perform well.
We've been on a really good run of getting to a semi-final and then final. So I don't think we're coming here not with an expectation of trying to perform well.
We need big leadership, which is a word I've used quite a lot in recent weeks.
The players have to show a level of composure, tactical understanding with the knowledge we're in the first game in a two-legged tie, away from home to a side who are unbeaten in 41 games and doing incredible well in their division.
We have to try and be able to handle that as well."
