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Scott Thornton brings you his Freiburg vs West Ham predictions, team news, lineups and fixtures preview ahead of their Thursday night meeting in the Europa League.
The Hammers qualified for this competition by winning last season’s Europa Conference League. This could be David Moyes’ final year at the club so competing in the latter stages of this tournament would be a fitting end to his tenure. Freiburg are their first test in the knockout rounds.
Our Freiburg vs West Ham prediction is for West Ham to win the match 2-1.
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Freiburg managed to earn a 2-2 draw at home to Bayern Munich at the weekend. The result will have given them a bit of confidence, but their last victory came over Hoffenheim on the 20th of January. They know a positive result is vital ahead of the away leg so we should see them go at West Ham. Both teams to score in the match looks a good bet as a result.
This bet has won in Christina Streich’s side’s last four matches. This includes their last Europa League match, which was a 3-2 win over Lens. The scores were level at 2-2 at the end of 90 minutes.
David Moyes’ has faced the wrath of West Ham fans in recent months. His pragmatic approach has delivered silverware. However, many feel the club need a new manager to take them forward and produce a more entertaining brand of football. Despite the criticism, the Hammers have recorded back-to-back victories coming into this one. Those wins saw ten goals combined, with both teams finding the net in each of them.
West have an exemplary record in European away matches of late. Since the start of last season, they have played 11 European matches on the road and have lost just once. That sole defeat came against Olympiacos. The Hammers created plenty of chances in what was a fairly even clash. Over the course of those 11 matches, West Ham are scoring 1.18 more goals per game than their opponents so an away win looks a solid bet.
Freiburg have just one win in their last ten matches in all competitions. During that time, they scored an average of 1.3 goals per game and conceded two. They have been beaten by the likes of Werder Bremen and Augsburg.
The Hammers endured a winless run of their own, which stretched from the turn of the year until they beat Brentford on February 26th. They showcased their clinical side in the recent 3-1 win over Everton at Goodison Park, and that level of cutting edge should be too much more Freiburg. They had to soak up a great deal of pressure but showed great character to come from behind in that game.
Jarrod Bowen has been the standout attacker for West Ham this season. He has featured as a wide player to devastating effect. In recent matches, he has been utilised as a centre-forward. He will be a huge goal threat on Thursday night, regardless of where he is deployed.
Bowen will want to continue his prolific season to play his way into Gareth Soutgate’s squad for this summer’s European Championship. He has netted 14 goals in 26 Premier League appearances. Jarrod also has two goals in his four Europa League matches. He has proven to be West Ham’s talisman in the attacking third, so we are backing him to score here.
The attacker likes to operate in that right-hand channel, which enables him to cut inside on his stronger foot. Even when starting up front, he has a tendency to drift to that side of the pitch. He has a non-penalty xG of 0.39 goals per 90 minutes played this season. Bowen netted a hat-trick in West Ham’s win over Brentford at the end of February. The price for a solitary goal appeals here.
Freiburg vs West Ham Prediction odds via bet365 as at 08:35, March 4th, 2024. Odds may now differ.
The home side have a few plates missing here. They are light at centre-back, with Philipp Lienhart, Max Rosenfelder and Kenneth Schmidt all unavailable due to various injuries. Daniel-Kofi Kyereh has been out since the start of the season with a cruciate ligament tear.
Michail Antonio came on against Everton after a lengthy layoff with a knee injury. He only played 15 minutes in that one, so it seems unlikely he will be given the nod to start here. David Moyes could opt for an unchanged starting eleven with a reasonable break between the fixtures.
Freiburg possible starting lineup: Atubolu; Gunter, Guilde, Ginter, Sildillia; Grifo, Hofler, Eggestein, Doan; Holer, Sallai
West Ham possible starting lineup: Areola; Coufal, Mavropanos, Zouma, Emerson; Soucek, Alvarez, Ward-Prowse; Paqueta, Kudus, Bowen
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