manager Sam Allardyce is confident of beating Southampton at Upton Park this weekend and continuing his side's good start to their first season back in the Premier League.

Both the Saints and the Hammers enjoyed promotion back to the top-flight last season but have enjoyed opposite starts to the campaign.

After sevem games Nigel Adkins' Southampton sit just a point outside the bottom three with just four points while Allardyce's West Ham are in eighth with 11 points.

And the West Ham manager believes his side have what it takes to continue what has been a solid start to the season.

Speaking to West Ham's official site he said: "I think  we have coped with the Barclays Premier League very well at the start of this season and I also think we had a group of fixtures that were less challenging than Southampton's.

"From a Premier League point of view our experience is probably better than theirs so hopefully that will be a telling factor on Saturday. Our confidence is also very high because we have been very good at home.

"I am hoping to see the same kind of performance that I saw against Aston Villa, Fulham and Sunderland. If we play like that we will create opportunities and have a very good chance of winning the game."

Allardyce also feels that Adkins' Southampton are a team still looking for the right formula that should see them start climbing up the table.

"It is usually more difficult to score goals than it is to concede. Southampton have found it easier to score but in doing so they have left a lot of gaps," he added.

"There are two ways of playing the game and that is in possession and out of it. If you do not get both right you do not win. What you do out of possession in the Barclays Premier League is just as important as what you do with it, especially during your first season.

"If you can get both of those on an equal par you will do well."

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