West Ham will need to ensure they have their shooting boots on when they host Freiburg in the second leg of their Round of 16 Europa League tie on Thursday.
David Moyes’ charges have work to do, as they will need to overturn a 1-0 deficit.
Despite fashioning several clear-cut opportunities in Germany, the Hammers couldn’t take advantage and drew a rare blank.
They were barely troubled by Freiburg, that was until Michael Gregoritsch intervened by tapping home from close range with nine minutes remaining of normal time to notch up his fifth of the Europa League campaign.
Perhaps West Ham will be fuelled by the penalty drama which resulted in a lengthy VAR consultation, but referee Alejandro Hernandez refused to budge.
In terms of injury news, West Ham are set to be without Emerson, who picked up a hamstring problem in the first leg, while Maxwel Cornet remains unavailable due to a similar issue.
But can Freiburg burst West Ham’s bubble? I have darted over to the markets and handpicked a couple of betting tips to keep in mind ahead of kick-off.
West Ham to summon the spirit of Sevilla
For West Ham, it’s all to play for under the early evening lights at the London Stadium.
Of course, they will need to improve upon their first leg showing in Germany, and Gregoritsch’s goal for Freiburg has bolstered belief they can reach the last eight of the competition for the first time in the club’s history.
West Ham, who saw their 21-game scoring streak in UEFA competition matches abruptly ended by Freiburg, Moyes’ men have been formidable at home in Europe, chalking up 10 wins on the bounce across the Europa League and Europa Conference League.
Although Freiburg will be boosted by the recent returns of Christian Gunter and Matthias Ginter, West Ham will hope to summon the spirit of Sevilla where they faced adversity before coming from 1-0 down two years ago at the same stage of the competition to prevail 2-1 on aggregate.
I think West Ham should have too much for Freiburg and make smooth progress into the last eight. For my first pick, I’m going to side with West Ham to Win & to Win to Nil, which is trading at a short 9/5 with Paddy Power.
James Ward-Prowse to get the ball rolling
While Jarrod Bowen will be brought into sharp focus for the Freiburg defenders, he isn’t the only player the visitors should be worried about.
West Ham could profit from set-pieces and James Ward-Prowse can cause some damage with his wand of a right foot.
With five goals and seven assists registered in the Premier League this term, Ward-Prowse will be eager to break his duck in the Europa League.
The midfielder could put the wheels in motion, and to round things off, I’ve gone with Ward-Prowse to break the deadlock, and he’s priced at an inviting 17/2 with Betfred to do so.
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