Collison eager for action in Beijing

The Hammers midfielder says there is no danger of taking the competition lightly as Gianfranco Zola's men prepare to open the prestigious tournament against London rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday.

West Ham will arrive fresh from a pre-season training camp in Austria and Collison is eager for the action to get under way.

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He said: "All of the boys are really looking forward to this week in China. Things are slowly starting to come together for the new season.

"The past two weeks (in Austria) have been all about trying to get our fitness up and trying to get a bit more match fitness so we go to China and we will really look to enjoy it.

"Austria has been hard work but it's been enjoyable. Instead of having us running all of the time, the manager has had us doing a lot of work with the ball. It is just as hard but enjoyable. It has been hard work but we go to China fully fit and in a really good frame of mind.

"If it's raining in Beijing I don't think it would be a bad thing. It can be pretty humid so it will probably be quite similar to Austria."