West Ham United are kicking off their 2023/24 Europa league campaign with a home against against Serbian side Backa Topola.
Last season's Europa Conference League champions will be feeling mightily positive about their chances in this competition this season as they enter this game in excellent shape.
Last season's Conference League title looks as though it could have been the catalyst for the club to finally start reaching the heights that Hammers fans have been striving for as the early portion of their season has given the impression they're a club very much in the ascendency.
They're coming into this game having won three, drawn one and lost one of their last five matches, the most recent of which was a 1-3 loss to Manchester City.
A game against the incumbent treble being you're only loss is nothing to be ashamed of, and it does nothing to taint the start David Moyes' men have had to the season given they've had a pretty tough first few games even outside of the City encounter.
They look a finely balanced unit despite losing Declan Rice in the summer and early signs are that the Rice money has been spent wisely with new signings James Ward-Prowse and Edson Álvarez having hit the ground running in claret and blue, with both midfielders slotting into the team like a hand in a glove.
It's hugely exciting times to be a West Ham fan and getting their hands on this trophy would be a feat previously unmatched by the club - last season's European final included.
Having reached the semi-finals two years back they'll feel much better equipped to go one step further this time around given the experience they've accumulated during last year's European run but they need to get off to a winning start and they're kicking off their campaign with a game against a potentially tricky opponent.
FK TSC are playing in the Europa League group stage for the first time in their history.
The Serbian side finished 2nd in the Serbian SuperLiga last time out and have been rewarded with a place in this year's competition.
They're coming into this game in pretty impressive form as they sit top of their domestic league having won each of their last four consecutive matches.
They did, though, find themselves in the Europa League after getting battered in Champions League qualifying by Portuguese side Sporting Braga who condemned them to a 7-1 hammering on aggregate.
This has the potential to be an equally tough encounter for the Serbian side so they're going to have to be on good form to avoid a heavy defeat.
For our West Ham vs. FK TSC prediction, we're going for a 3-1 win for the home side.
Don’t forget to check out the rest of our previews, tips and offers for this weekend’s action.