Daily Echo:

Mauricio Pellegrino is hoping that West Ham’s attacking nature will suit his team when the sides meet at the weekend.

Slaven Bilic’s side come into tomorrow’s game at St Mary’s on the back of a 4-0 hiding at the hands of Manchester United, while Saints were frustrated in a goalless draw against Swansea on the opening day.

It is an important match for both sides who will be desperate for a win to get their seasons really going.

Swansea came to St Mary’s and got numbers behind the ball, frustrating Saints who couldn’t find space in behind or between the lines.

The Hammers – who would have been playing at home tomorrow were it not for a fixture switch due to the Olympic Stadium having hosted the World Athletics Championships - are likely to be a more attacking prospect, which on paper should suit Saints.

Pellegrino reckoned: “Normally it's a team that wants to press, wants to attack, keep the ball, be aggressive and pressing the opposition.

“At the beginning I imagine a really tough game.

“I think we have to be there and we have to control the ball like we did against Swansea.

“We know that it will be a difficult game.”

He added: “West Ham is a strong team and for me it will be a tough, a really difficult game.

“We never know what will happen in the future in the game. Football is an unpredictable sport.

“They sign players with experience, players that have quality to create problems, but for us I think we have to keep going in the same way, keep playing in different aspects in the same way we did against Swansea.

“We know right now that it will be a really difficult game.”

Pellegrino has a fully fit squad to pick from with Ryan Bertrand having recovered from a minor knock and Alex McCarthy ready to take a place on bench.

While Pellegrino has been focussing on West Ham, there have been plenty of off the field distractions at the club over the last week.

The top of that list was the Chinese takeover, with the Gao family paying Katharina Liebherr £210m for an 80 per cent stake in the club.

Pellegrino, though, is not expecting any significant changes straightaway.

“At the beginning nothing will change, everything will continue in the same way. All the board will continue,” he insisted.

“Obviously little by little I imagine the new owners want to know us and to be in contact but not now.”

Saints chairman Ralph Krueger has also been in the headlines after his major interview with the Daily Echo in the wake of the deal with the Gao’s.

Amongst the topics covered by Krueger was his belief that the transfer window should close before the start of the season, which would have saved Saints the stress they are currently experiencing with Virgil van Dijk while also trying to prepare for matches.

Pellegrino concurred: “I am agreeing with that.

“I would like to know and to keep all my players focused in our competition, in our responsibilities.

“Because to talk about the transfer market right now when we are competing, it's not good for them and it's not good for us.

“At the end always there is a lot of movement, I would imagine in the next few days there will be movement because people will wait until the end to make good business. So I expect deals to happen.”