Europa League: West Ham and Freiburg’s Final Showdown

West Ham United vs SC Freiburg

When Freiburg beat West Ham in their Round of 16 first-leg tie last week, it was the third time the two teams had met in the 2023/24 Europa League, and when they come together at the London Stadium on Thursday, it will be the last.

An 81^st minute goal from Michael Gregoritsch gave the Bresgau Brazilians a 1-0 lead in Freiburg, and there was late VAR drama as West Ham were denied a penalty. So this rematch will be a fight to the death.

The Hammers won Group A with 15 points and three more than second-placed Freiburg, but the Germans took the initiative when it really mattered, and now the tie is beautifully in the balance.

Freiburg manager Christian Streich has already become the most successful head coach in the club’s history, leading them to two consecutive European campaigns, and his team is not ready to go home just yet. And sitting in eighth place in the Bundesliga, they are having another solid campaign.

David Moyes’ West Ham haven’t been in the best of form since the turn of the year, but there are signs of progress and they are up to seventh in the Premier League.

Freiburg come into the game on the back of a 2-1 win away to Bochum, while the Hammers played out a thrilling 2-2 draw at home to Burnley, and the Europa League 2024 odds say we can expect a classic in East London.

Talking Points

Hammers back on song

West Ham have endured a difficult run since January, and the heat has been on Moyes. But in a recent game against Brentford, the Hammers got back to winning ways as Jarrod Bowen scored a hat-trick in a 4-2 victory.

Moyes’ boys followed that up with a 3-1 win over Everton and then a draw with Burnley as Danny Ings grabbed an injury-time leveler to keep the Hammers in the European places.

The London Stadium fans are not always the easiest to please, but surely they will be happy with their current lot. Things are certainly looking up again and they have, on their day, an unstoppable attacking unit.

2023 recruit James Ward-Prowse is a brilliant dead-ball specialist, and he has made four assists in the competition, while Mohammed Kudus and Lucas Paqueta have scored three goals each.

Attacking midfielder Bowen is in fourth place in the race for the Premier League Golden Boot with 14 goals while Ings is a superb finisher, the perfect “fox in the box”.

West Ham have the firepower to beat Freiburg, but there is no way the Germans will roll over.

Freiburg can be history makers

After playing second fiddle to the Hammers at the group stage, Freiburg took the chance to exact some revenge last week, and now they are just 100 minutes away from achieving their best ever run in Europe.

Last year, they lost to Juventus at this stage of the competition, and they come into this tie in very decent form.

Last week, Freiburg drew 2-2 with Bayern Munich and followed that up with back to back wins, over West Ham and Bochum.

Gregoritsch’s strike was his fifth goal in this year’s Europa League, while Roland Sallai has four. But one player we can bank on making the Europa League 2024 highlights is wide-man Vincenzo Grifo. With seven goals and seven assists in the Bundesliga, Grifo has been Freiburg’s most productive forward.

He can play as a left winger, an attacking midfielder, or even a No. 10. But wherever he operates, Grifo is a dangerous customer. A set-piece expert to challenge Ward-Prowse, he is the Bundesliga’s record Italian goal scorer, and Grifo is Freiburg’s go-to man.

History

While Freiburg are breaking new ground, West Ham are the Europa Conference League reigning champions, and now they meet in a winner-take-all clash.

After West Ham beat Freiburg twice at the group stage, the Germans upped their game in the first leg take a slender advantage. It was a ding-dong battle and, while the Bundesliga side had more possession, the shot counts were level at 15 each and four shots on target.

In terms of recent form, West Ham have won two, drawn one, and lost three of the last six, but they are on an upward trajectory. Meanwhile, Freiburg have won three, drawn two, and lost one.

Betting Tip

West Ham are at SBOTOP odds of 1.75 to win this match with Freiburg at 3.82, and the draw is at 3.18.

Freiburg haven’t won any of their last six away games, and the Hammers seem to have rediscovered their mojo, so the home fans will hope for a celebration. But with two exciting attacks on display, I can see goals at both ends.

 

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