West Ham vs SC Freiburg
The final group stage game of the Europa League is here as German side SC Freiburg travel to West London to face the Hammers.
West Ham have only lost one game in Europe so far in the groupd stage, where the Hammers won 2-1 in the first meeting against Freiburg over in Germany. With West Ham's rollercoaster form in the domestic league, it's incredible to see how consistent the side have been in European competitons.
Both West Ham and Freiburg have guaranteed a place in the knockouts of the tournament, where this game will decide the group winner. Each side sit comfy on 12 points each, from 4 wins and a loss. Freiburg have been a great goal scoring team giving them a +12 goal difference. West Ham have conceded one goal less than the German side, but have been far less positive in front in goal (+4GD).
Are Freiburg on form? That's a hard question to answer as the Bundesliga looks more competitive than ever this year with each of the top 4 teams looking to be in a close title race. This does however make Freiburg look as if they are being left behind a bit, as they are sat in 8th place, with 21 points.
Last year Freiburg gained an impressive 5th place finish, grabbing the Europa league spot. However this year they don't quite look the same team. They were labelled the "darlings of football" by the German press last year, but can't seem to gain the same form this year. As of late, they have improved with 3 domestic wins in a row.
Much like the Hammers, Freiburg have been very hot and cold this year. They have only scored 17 goals in 14 games in the league, which is very poor. This means they have scored the same number of goals in their 5 European matches as they have in the Bundesliga: How strange.
Italian left winger Vincenzo Grifo is the clubs top scorer in both the Bundesliga and the Europa league with 4 in each competition. Even though he is 30, this looks to be his breakout season as he is outperforming many top talents at the club. Unfortunately for the hammers, he's fit and certain to start on Thursday night. Keeping him quiet is a must.
Predictions:
I can see both teams resting key players as Freiburg have two must win fixtures betfore the Bundesliga's 2 week winter break. West Ham will keep an eye on Sundays game against Wolves as after that the Hammers face Liverpool, Man United and Brighton in a seriously tough run of fixtures. With the Hammers winning in the away fixture, it's logical to predict another win, however it does heavily depend on how much Moyes wants to rotate. I'm going with a 2-0 win, come on you Hammers!