The two winners from matchday one in UEFA Europa League Group A clash in Germany as Freiburg welcome West Ham to Stade Europa-Park on Thursday.
A late winner from Max Philipp saw the hosts survive a bit of a scare in Greece when they faced Olympiacos, whilst the Hammers came back from a goal down to beat TSC at London Stadium 3-1.
Those results set up a highly anticipated clash here as both sides will look to take an early stranglehold on the group.
Victory for either team would put them in a strong early position to qualify for the next round, although West Ham's preparations have been affected by an injury to striker Michail Antonio, meaning David Moyes will be forced into an attacking reshuffle for this game.
This will be the first meeting of these teams since a friendly match nearly 100 years ago, when Freiburg won 5-2 against a Hammers side fresh from their first season in the old First Division.
MORE: The latest Europa League results and standings
Freiburg vs West Ham match facts
- Date: Thursday, October 5, 2023
- Kickoff Time: 6:45 p.m. local (12:45 p.m. ET / 9:45 a.m. PT)
- Location: Stade Europa-Park (Freiburg, Germany)
- Official: Mohammed Al-Hakim (SWE)
- Last meeting: N/A
MORE: Get the latest bets odds for the Europa League, including Liverpool and Brighton
Freiburg vs West Ham prediction, odds
- Full-time result: Draw (13/5)
- Score prediction: Freiburg 1-1 West Ham
| FRE win | Draw | WHU win | Both teams to score Y / N | Over / Under 2.5 goals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BetOnSports | 8/5 | 13/5 | 31/20 | 4/7, 5/4 | 7/10, 11/10 |
Freiburg vs West Ham best bet
- Pick: Under 2.5 goals scored
- Odds: 11/10 (bet365)
Given their success on matchday one of the Europa League and that on paper, this away trip to face Freiburg is their most difficult assignment during the group stage, we're expecting West Ham to focus on the defensive side of their game here.
Overall this season, the Hammers have blown hot and cold in front of goal, seemingly switching between one-goal and three-goal displays seamlessly.
As for Freiburg, well, simply put, they've played similarly this season to their visitors here. For them, they'd likely settle for a draw after a matchday-one win over Olympiacos in Group A. That should see them play a more defensive match, too, as they look for back-to-back wins at home after a 2-0 victory over Augsburg at the weekend.
Freiburg vs West Ham bold bet
- Pick: Freiburg winning at HT, draw at FT
- Odds: 12/1 (10bet)
With Freiburg likely to be the more attacking of the two sides from the off, we've picked them to be winning at half time and the match to finish as a draw.
That prediction represents fantastic value and even though it's a long shot, there's rhyme to our reason.
Matchday one saw West Ham surprisingly fall 1-0 behind to TSC on home soil and although they recovered, it highlighted a weakness in the backline that the German side could exploit.
Add to that the fact that the hosts managed to get ahead before the break in their first outing in the competition this campaign and we feel like this is a good pick with plenty of upside.
