FAMILIAR foes Freiburg and West Ham United face off in the first leg of their Europa League last 16 tie at the Europa-Park Stadion on Thursday night.
The two sides have already crossed paths in Europa League Group A this season, with the Hammers claiming top spot in the section.
That meant Freiburg had to drop into the playoff round last month, where they roared back from two goals down to secure a dramatic 3-2 win over Lens.
Christian Streich’s side warmed up this clash by holding German giants Bayern Munich to a 2-2 draw in the Bundesliga on Friday night.
As for West Ham, they have rediscovered some form in recent weeks, beating both Brentford and Everton to move into the top seven of the Premier League table.
After triumphing in last season’s Europa Conference League, David Moyes’ men will will have their eyes firmly set on claiming more silverware by conquering Europe’s secondary club competition.
Outright Betting
Despite losing twice to West Ham already this season, Freiburg are 8/5 favourites on Boylesports.
West Ham are marginal 9/5 (PaddyPowwer) outsiders to pick up a first-leg lead while a Europa-Park Stadion stalemate can be backed at a best price of 5/2 (William Hill).
Betting Angles
This looks like a tricky fixture to tackle from a 1×2 perspective so I’m going to put together a Bet Builder and couple up Freiburg to score and Edson Álvarez to commit a foul at 4/5 (Bet 365).
Whilst West Ham seem to be heading in the right direction again, their Achilles heel remains their poor defensive record.
David Moyes’ men have failed to keep a clean sheet in each of their last nine matches across all competitions so they could struggle to keep their German hosts at bay.
Freiburg breached the Hammers’ defence when they visited the Black Forest back in October, and after netting twice against Bayern Munich last time out, they can certainly land at least one blow against the Londoners on Thursday night.
We can give the odds on a solitary Freiburg strike a handy boost up to 4/5 (Bet 365) by also backing West Ham’s Edson Álvarez to clock up at least one foul.
The midfield destroyer racked up no fewer than three fouls when the Hammers were in town last autumn so a solitary misdemeanour here doesn't look like too much to ask.
Elsewhere, the 10/11 on Bet 365 about West Ham’s Mohammed Kudus to register a shot on target also looks worthy of interest.
This bet would have paid out in each of the Kudus’ last five appearances for the Irons so the 10/11 about repeat on Thursday night is a price that definitely represents value.
This UEFA Europa League match between Freiburg and West Ham United will be played on Mar 7, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Freiburg vs West Ham United prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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