Bilic urges West Ham to make tussles with Euro elite the norm after announcing Juventus will be first Olympic Stadium opponents
West Ham boss Slaven Bilic has has urged his side to make clashes against Juventus a regular occurrence after the club announced yesterday that the Italian champions will be the opposition for their inaugural match in the Olympic Stadium.
The Hammers move into their new 60-000-seater home in Stratford this summer, bringing the curtain down on 112 years at Upton Park, and will host the Bianconeri in a pre-season friendly on Sunday 7 August for the Betway Cup.
Two-time European champions Juventus were confirmed as Serie A winners for a fifth successive season on Monday after Napoli failed to beat Roma, a standard which Bilic expects his players to aspire.
“We hope this will be the first of many games against Europe’s top sides at our new home as we begin the journey of turning West Ham United into a team capable of competing with the best teams from across the continent,” he said.
“It will be a privilege to face one of the biggest clubs in the world in our opening game at the new stadium. Like us they are a club steeped in tradition, so it is fitting that together we will create history with this match.”
Joint-chairmen David Sullivan and David Gold said: “This will be a game you’ll want to tell your grandkids you were at. Sunday, 7 August just can’t come soon enough.”