West Ham United vs Freiburg: Match Preview

The second leg of this Europa League Round of 16 clash returns once again to the London Stadium as these two clubs play out their 4th fixture against each other in European competition this season.

Coming into Thursday Freiburg will head to East London with the advantage, with a late goal from Michael Gregoritsch denying West Ham that extra bit of hope going into this second leg, with the advantage only a goal to the good for the Breisgau Brazilians.

Both teams will be looking to progress into the quarter-finals on Thursday, with West Ham looking to make it three consecutive European quarter-final appearances in a row in both the Europa League and the Europa Conference League as recently as last season. Freiburg however exited the competition at this stage last season with 3–0 defeat on aggregate to Juventus, coincidentally this being the furthest they’ve made it in any European tournament in their history. They can reach a quarter final if they avoid defeat in London, however last time out it didn’t go according to plan for the German club. Goals from Edson Alvarez and Mohammed Kudus put Freiburg through the extra knockout round for clubs that finish 2nd in their group and eliminated Champions League clubs. They’ll be looking for revenge in London, and manager Christian Streich will be looking to bring his Freiburg with extra vigour to London looking to bring a win home back to South West Germany.

Recent Form:

Recent form has been hard to come by for West Ham as they are considered an inconsistent side in the Premier League however they are good enough to still be sat in 7th just outside of the European places. Fans of recent weeks have become a bit restless with David Moyes’ approach after several good years in charge. Alas, they come into this game being unbeaten in their last three Premier League fixtures, with wins away at Everton and at home to Brentford as well as a draw against Burnley on Sunday. Two of those games featured goals from added time, against Everton and Burnley to salvage much needed points from both games. The Hammers have scored 8 goals past the 85th minute this season in the Premier League and haven’t lost when doing so. They have a habit for leaving it late, so the last ten minutes could be crucial for both sides to set the outcome of the tie.

Their home form could also come into play, West Ham won all three games at home in the group stages of the tournament and have only lost 3 games at home all season with two of those being in the Top 6. Although gaining 1.6 points per game at home, they go into the tie statistically as the favourite despite the score line disadvantage they have to face.

Freiburg however have only won two of their last six games away from home and are without a win in their last two away European fixtures, between which they’ve been on a run of 4 consecutive away defeats against the likes of Borussia Dortmund and Werder Bremen. This all came part of their run of 6 games without a win between February and March however they still sit in 6th in the Bundesliga in and around the European places. Streich’s side are also very susceptible to late goals, having conceded 10 goals beyond the 80th minute in all competitions. Contrary to West Ham having a good record going into the last few minutes, Freiburg will have their work cut out to maintain their 1–0 lead on aggregate during the latter stages of the tie. However they’ve also conceded 12 goals in all games from the opening 20 minutes of their games and have conceded the majority of their goals in the first half of the majority of their games. With only two wins to their name so far this calendar year, the German outfit will look for their third and most crucial win so far this season.

Key Player: Edson Alvarez

After his cameo on Sunday against Burnley where he absolutely controlled the midfield replacing Kalvin Phillips at half time, the Mexican deep lying midfielder has been excellent in the West Ham midfield and has provided the cover that they desperately needed.

After arriving from Ajax this summer for a reported £35 million, he’s been key in the majority of West Ham fixtures this campaign, and has been a starlet in a new-look midfield since the departure of Declan Rice alongside James Ward-Prose and Thomas Soucek.

He’s been the bright spark that West Ham have massively needed with a key defensive structure which needed replacing after there was no progressive and sweeping midfielder at the club for a short period of time. Over the top 5 leagues and European competitions, he’s in the 99% percentile for clearances, 97% for blocks and around the high 80% for tackles and interceptions. His defensive capabilities are solid and in that deep lying role he plays for West Ham he fantastically fits that role and what David Moyes wants. This could help to combat and win the midfield duel in the game, specifically against Florent Muslija, who’s defensive contributions are very rare which has left their side disjointed at times. With Edson’s progressive carries he could be able to win the ball and look for a wide midfielder to catch Freiburg out of shape.

Along with his defensive stats, his high progression stats helps him to come from deep to drive forward with the ball despite his role primarily to sweep the ball up from within the West Ham half. Per 90 he has a pass completion rate of 86% and with somewhat successful take on completion, he can play a variety of roles, being able to fill in as a solid ball playing defender. These roles could be key in bringing about a solid defensive structure for West Ham, and as such falter the attacking Freiburg threat.

Key Player: Ritsu Doan

Contributing to 9 of Freiburg’s goals in all competition this season, the Japanese superstar is the leader of Freiburg’s frontline and looks to help gain revenge on the Premier League outfit after their group stage defeats.

Doan is currently halfway into his second season in Germany, after impressing with PSV and Japan in the World Cup in Qatar he arrived in Freiburg for around £7 million from the Dutch outfit. Since then, he has showcased his flair, and so far has contributed majorly to his teams Europa League campaign, contributing with two goals and assists in eight games this campaign.

Being flexible across the board, Doan usually occupies the right side of the pitch and likes to take on his man to supply his team mates. However, when called upon he is able to operate in the middle of an attacking midfield three operating just behind a striker. Arguably his best trait is how quickly he draws fouls in, which could be vital in drawing in West Ham defenders who are rash and look to win the ball quickly. Not just that but his work rate to track back and win the ball helps to solidify the Freiburg shape out of possession which could help him if midfielder Kalvin Phillips starts for West Ham. The Manchester City loanee has been poor on completed passing rate and dispossessions, and as such Doan’s work rate and common tendency to tackle could catch the Hammers out.

On average, Doan has created 2 key passes per game which have led to high conversion rate chances. If he can play to his strengths and get at the West Ham full backs, he could be vital in taking Freiburg to the furthest they’ve ever been in a European competition.

Team News:

The home side will still be without Maxwell Cornet as he still looks to recover from a thigh injury during training before their game with Brentford last week. The Ivory Coast international has had a somewhat torrid time with injuries and game time limited meaning he hasn’t made a huge impact in East London so far, but expects to be back for their Premier League fixture against Aston Villa 3 days later. Emerson is a small doubt after he sustained a groin injury in the game against Brentford however he could be in contention after veteran Aaron Creswell deputised for the Italian against Burnley. Expect also Edson Alvarez to return to the starting line up after he appeared off the bench on Sunday in place of Kalvin Phillips, along with the return of Kurt Zouma who was rested on Sunday and will return for this clash.

In terms of Freiburg, there isn’t much to report with recent injury concerns so could remain without centre back Philip Lienhart but also have a number of key players missing. Those including Kenneth Schmidt; Daniel-Kofi Kyereh & Marco Rosenfelder. Suspension wise none will carry over to the fixture on Thursday however their win against VfL Bochum on Sunday saw very little rotation. Possibly expect some key players to start on the bench, but the majority of the team seems fit and ready for their clash in London.

Kudus: “We believe we have what it takes to get the job done.”

West Ham winger Mohammed Kudus has rallied his fellow West Ham teammates in a cry out to get over the line on Thursday, calling on his team to show stronger reaction after their defeat away in Germany.

Helping his side to come off the back of a 6 game winless run and picking up 7 points from 3 games, he feels there’s still everything to play for at the London Stadium this week.

“It was a very difficult game against Freiburg, and we’re all disappointed with the result. I think we can do better defensively, and as well we need to play more, be better on the ball and create more chances.

There’s still everything to play for in the Europa League. We believe we have what it takes to get the job done.”

Kudus has 10 goals in all competitions this season, including one against his opposition come Thursday. He’ll look to add to that tally in 3 days time.

This clash for a place in the Europa League quarter-finals kicks off at 17:45 GMT on Thursday 14th March and will be live on TNT Sports 1 and TNT Sports Ultimate with coverage from 17:00 onwards.

Written by: WFCHenry

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