You again? And in this format no less? Yes, it is true- West Ham United and SC Freiburg will meet again in the 2023-24 UEFA Europa League competition. This time, it’s the knockout round of the competition, with the Hammers taking both of the previous meetings, which came in the UEL group stages. If the Irons do win here, it would mark the first time in their history that they’ve beaten the same team three times in the same European competition.
The side from east London took a long while to taste victory in 2024, but they followed that up with another W, meaning they have won their last two, having stopped their recent slide.
West Ham United at SC Freiburg FYIs
Kickoff: Thurs. Mar. 7, 8pm, Europa-Park Stadion in Germany
Competition: UEFA Europa League Round of 16 Leg 1/2
West Ham United Preview Content: Starting XI Prediction Team News
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
Fun Fact: SC Freiburg have the most high turnovers (85) of any team in the UEL this season, and the most shots generated off of them (18)
That downturn saw the heat turn up on manager David Moyes, but at least the pressure is easing a bit now. Or it will if they can get another win here.
West Ham United Starting XI Prediction at SC Freiburg
Alphonse Areola; Vladimir Coufal, Kurt Zouma, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Angelo Ogbonna; Edson Alvarez, Tomas Soucek; Lucas Paqueta, James Ward-Prowse, Mohammed Kudus; Jarrod Bowen
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Twitter.