WEST Ham defender Matthew Upson insists the team will come out raring to go against West Bromwich Albion as they resume their charge for a Uefa cup place next week, after 'recharging the batteries' during a 12 day break.

Two excellent wins over two of their main rivals for Europe, Manchester City and Wigan Athletic, ensured the Hammers arrested a run of five games without a victory and consolidated their position in seventh place.

With everything to play for in the remaining ten games, Upson claims the side will come back refreshed and re-energised for the sprint finish.

“We are going to recharge the batteries. We have a lot of players who have played nearly every match this season, so it is a good rest and we have a couple of fixtures coming up where we can pick up points.”

One of those is undoubtedly against West Brom, who are odds-on favourites for relegation, as they lie adrift at the bottom of the league.

Despite recent injuries to midfielders Valon Behrami and Jack Collison and defender James Collins, the team have managed to stay on course. However, with Carlton Cole preparing to serve a two-game ban for picking up his second red card of the season, the Irons' squad will be stretched to its limit in the coming weeks.

Upson’s presence will go a long way to reassuring the fans though, as he has been a linchpin at the heart of the back four all season. His confidence on the pitch is matched off it, as he has European football well within his sights.

“Europe is massively on our minds,” the England international admitted. “It is a target of ours. We sat down and have talked about it. We are heading towards them and when you set targets you want to achieve them. That's what we want to do at this club.”

The club will have been boosted by the news that Collison’s knee injury is not as serious as first feared, with the Welsh international likely to be sidelined for two weeks.

The news is not so good for Swiss midfielder Behrami, whose injury will keep him on the sidelines for up to six months after damaging his anterior cruciate ligaments.

Go to guardian-series.co.uk/sport for a full report on the whistle and news of Monday night’s clash with West Brom.