West Ham United and Freiburg square off in the Europa League on Thursday night with a place in the last 16 at stake.

Although both teams are already guaranteed to feature in the knockout stages, they will each be eager to finish top of Group A and avoid the last 32.

Match preview

David Moyes has become used to balancing hectic schedules in recent years, both in terms of Premier League and European action, but he was unable to account for a stomach bug affecting his squad at the back end of last week.

That was a clear contributory factor to their 5-0 defeat at the hands of Fulham, just three days after they have overturned a half-time deficit to defeat Tottenham Hotspur on away territory.

Fortunately for Moyes and his players, they can enter this fixture having already qualified for at least the last 32, easing the pressure to a certain extent.

Nevertheless, this is a competitive game for West Ham as they bid to take two matches off their schedule in 2024 and progress a round further towards winning European silverware in successive seasons.

A draw will be enough for the East Londoners, yet Moyes will be eager to see a much-improved performance from the one produced in Serbia against Backa Topola, with West Ham reliant on a late Tomas Soucek goal for a 1-0 win.

In sharp contrast on the same day, Freiburg were thrashing Olympiacos by a 5-0 scoreline, emphatically ensuring that they stayed level on points with their upcoming opponents.

West Ham's 2-1 victory in Germany on matchday two means that Freiburg require all three points at the London Stadium to edge out their hosts for first place in Group A.

Although they sit in eighth position in the Bundesliga, Freiburg enter this contest in far better shape than West Ham having recorded back-to-back 1-0 wins in league action.

Those triumphs have come away at Mainz 05 and Wolfsburg, and Christian Steich will back his players to record another notable success on their travels in England.

Team News

The make-up of West Ham's starting lineup is difficult to predict due to the aforementioned stomach bug, but Moyes will look to name his strongest possible team.

Emerson Palmieri and Said Benrahma are both in contention to return at left-back and in the final third respectively, while Edson Alvarez may feature in midfield after illness.

Goalkeeper Alphonse Areola could replace Lukasz Fabianski between the sticks if he has recovered from a wrist injury, but Michail Antonio remains out with a knee problem.

Barring any fitness issues, Steich may be prepared to select the same team that earned an impressive win at Wolfsburg at the weekend.

Michael Gregoritsch netted his fifth goal in just three games to justify his selection over Junior Adamu, who will remain among the replacements.

West Ham United possible starting lineup:
Fabianski; Coufal, Zouma, Aguerd, Palmieri; Alvarez, Ward-Prowse; Kudus, Soucek, Paqueta; Bowen

Freiburg possible starting lineup:
Atubolu; Sildillia, Ginter, Lienhart, Makengo; Doan, Eggestein, Hofler, Grifo; Rohl; Gregoritsch

We say: West Ham United 2-2 Freiburg

With West Ham's squad having needed to recover from a stomach bug over the weekend and into this week, it remains to be seen whether they will be back to full fitness. Nevertheless, in what we feel will be an entertaining game, the Hammers should be able to battle their way to a share of the spoils, one which will keep them in top spot.


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