West Ham will travel to Germany in good spirits as they tackle Freiburg in the first leg of their Europa League Round of 16 tie.
After a downturn in form at the beginning of last month, the Hammers have enjoyed a mini resurgence with back-to-back domestic victories over Brentford and Everton.
Freiburg, on the other hand, have endured a slump on the league front as they are without a win in any of their past six Bundesliga games, although they picked up a creditable point in their 2-2 draw at home to Bayern Munich last week.
Nevertheless, Freiburg have had a penchant for the dramatic. As far as the Europa League is concerned, they needed a late Michael Gregoritsch strike in extra-time to overturn a two-goal deficit against Lens to secure their progress from the knockout round playoffs.
Freiburg and West Ham are no strangers to each other, having already faced each other in the group stages of the competition, and it could well be a keenly contested affair.
But who will land the first blow at the Europa-Park Stadion? I have headed over to the betting markets to pick out a couple of value tips for you to consider.
West Ham to edge tight encounter
Although West Ham’s struggles domestically were well documented at the start of the year, they seemed to have got their act together.
Finishing top of their Europa League group meant they have had more time to prepare for this game, and apart from Maxwel Cornet (hamstring), David Moyes has a full squad to choose from.
In the two previous meetings against Freiburg in the group stage, West Ham won 2-0 at home and 2-1 away, and this is bound to be an equally tense affair.
Of course, the Hammers will be acutely aware of the threat that Freiburg will possess, and intriguingly, Freiburg have scored more goals (19) and attempted more shots (137) than any other side in the competition.
Freiburg boss Christian Streich, of course, will be hoping the third time is a charm against the Hammers, but I can’t see it.
For my opening gambit, I’m leaning into West Ham to pinch a win and take an advantage back to the London Stadium.
The winning margin line appears to be rather enticing, and Paddy Power has plugged odds of 7/2 for the Hammers to prevail by one goal.
Jarrod Bowen to have his say
A player who can be relied upon to pull his team out of a sticky situation, West Ham’s hopes of advancing to the Europa League quarter-finals appear to rest on Jarrod Bowen’s shoulders.
Having gone through a bit of a lean spell at the start of the year, Bowen recently struck the first hat-trick of his senior career against Brentford, and the confidence will be flowing through his veins.
Bowen, who has registered 17 goals in all competitions, will be eager to get off the mark in the Europa League.
He could be a handful, and Freiburg may find it tough to contain him. To wrap things up, I’ve jumped into the goalscorer market and plucked out a 13/2 price by bet365 for Bowen to net the last goal of the game.
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