Freiburg vs West Ham: UEFA Europa League Clash Preview
In each of Freiburg’s last five home matches, there has been a consistent trend of over 2.5 goals and both teams scoring. West Ham has been prolific in their recent Premier League fixtures, with ten goals scored in their last two matches. Jarrod Bowen impressed with a hat-trick in a 4-2 victory over Brentford two weeks ago.
Introduction
The UEFA Europa League Round of 16 draw has paired former Group A rivals Freiburg and West Ham against each other once again, vying for a spot in the quarter-finals. West Ham enjoyed greater success in the group stage, winning five out of six games, including both encounters against Freiburg. Can they replicate their previous triumphs over the Germans? The first leg is set to take place on Thursday evening at Europa-Park Stadion.
Freiburg’s Recent Performance
Bundesliga Struggles
Despite Freiburg’s recent struggles in the Bundesliga, slipping to ninth place after four losses and two draws in their last six league matches, they gained a morale boost by holding reigning champions Bayern Munich to a 2-2 draw last Friday.
West Ham’s Recent Form
Premier League Victories
In contrast, West Ham ended a string of six losses with consecutive Premier League victories over Brentford and Everton, scoring seven goals in the process. Notably, they conceded eleven shots on target in their 3-1 win against Everton, with Alphonse Areola saving a penalty.
Previous Encounters
Group Stage Matches
Freiburg and West Ham faced each other twice in the group stage of the competition.
West Ham’s Victories
West Ham emerged victorious on both occasions, including a 2-1 win in October last year on German soil.
Prediction for Freiburg vs West Ham
Both teams have struggled defensively since the start of the year but have shown improvement in attack in their recent matches. Over 2.5 goals and both teams to score have been common outcomes in all but one of Freiburg’s last seven matches across all competitions. Similarly, there has been a total of ten goals scored in West Ham’s last two Premier League fixtures. Therefore, backing both teams to score at odds of 1.70 seems reasonable.
Jarrod Bowen delivered an exceptional performance with his hat-trick against Brentford two weeks ago, indicating his increased attacking threat, especially with the return of Lucas Paqueta to the starting lineup. With Freiburg’s defensive vulnerabilities in mind, backing Jarrod Bowen to score anytime at attractive odds of 3.50 appears enticing.
