Freiburg vs West Ham United

Freiburg and West Ham United are set to lock horns at the Europa-Park Stadium in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie.

Freiburg fought their way into the Europa League round of 16 with a remarkable second-leg comeback against Lens, hauling back a 2-0 deficit to beat the French side 3-2 in extra-time last month. But as that triumph remains their only success across eight competitive matches (D3, L4), ‘Breisgau-Brasilianer’ head into this one slightly concerned. The Germans can draw inspiration from a nail-biting 2-2 home draw against record-time Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich at the weekend, even though it extended their winless home league run to four matches (D3, L1 – 90mins only). High scoring has been a common theme in Freiburg’s recent home outings, with their last five featuring over 3.5 goals and both teams on the scoresheet, highlighting the potential for an action-packed contest.

Visiting West Ham wouldn’t mind such a scenario after winning their last two domestic fixtures despite conceding on both occasions. After beating this opposition in both encounters in this season’s Europa League group stages, including a 2-1 victory at this venue, David Moyes’ side will take this trip in great spirits, regardless of their uninspiring form across their last five competitive travels (W1, D1, L3). West Ham can take further optimism from racking up a three-game winning European streak ‘to nil’ in the build-up to this trip. However, that doesn’t mean they can take anything for granted after blowing hot and cold across their last six Europa League away matches (W3, L3). With each contest in that run yielding a single-goal margin, an evenly-contested fixture could be in store.