West Ham United have a very tough assignment on Thursday night, as they’ll visit SC Freiburg, a German side that rivals the Hammers as the favorites of their UEFA Europa League grouping.
And their home ground is going to have an absolutely crazy atmosphere, with loud, abrasive raucous fans.
West Ham United at Freiburg FYIs
Kickoff: Thurs. Sept. 21, 5:45pm, Europa-Park Stadion in Germany
Competition: UEFA Europa League Group A
West Ham United Preview Content: Starting XI Prediction Team News
UEL Group Standing, Form: Freiburg 2nd, W 3 pts West Ham United 1st, W 3pts
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
Fun Fact: these two teams met in 1924, for an international friendly, when the Irons became the first team to visit Germany after World War I.
There is a massive cauldron there too, which sounds a bit intimidating; but also very festive this Spooky Season. Obviously, the Germans are known to get into the Halloween spirit.
With all this in mind, Irons manager David Moyes will need to put his best foot forward and start a strong team for the UEL fixture. Here is what we think that looks like on Thursday night.
West Ham United Starting XI Prediction at SC Freiburg (UEL)
Lukasz Fabianski; Thilo Kehrer, Kurt Zouma, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Emerson Palmieri; Edson Alvarez, James Ward-Prowse, Lucas Paqueta; Mohamed Kudus, Michail Antonio, Said Benrahma
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager 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.”
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