West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce has declared that his side do not fear Arsenal or Chelsea, with fixtures against both of the Premier League giants looming in the coming days.
The Hammers have been exceptional since the start of the season, and find themselves going into the Christmas period sat fourth in the Premier League.
As a result, they face Chelsea on Boxing Day knowing that they are genuine contenders for the Champions League places, should they keep up their current form.
The West Ham manager has admitted that he feels his side are in fourth place on merit, and that even against two of the traditional big four, they fear nothing.
Allardyce said: “It’s a nice time to be playing Chelsea and Arsenal.
“Our draw away at Chelsea last season was our turning point, from then we kicked on and stayed up. So it was huge.
“They’re two tough games but we have earned the right to have a go at both them.
“The cream on top of our cake this season has been the wins over Manchester City and Liverpool so we know we’re capable of getting something from these games.”
Chelsea have been exceptional thus far this season, losing only one game in all competitions – at Newcastle United in the Premier League.
Arsenal, on the other hand, have struggled somewhat, and suffered a late equaliser in their game against Liverpool on Sunday.
