West Ham will play for everything! Can the Hammers do what they did 2 years ago with Sevilla?

West Ham United will welcome German side Freiburg to their stadium, looking to overturn a one-goal deficit in the second leg of the Europa League eight-final. The Hammers suffered a narrow 0-1 defeat in south-west Germany last Thursday, with Michael Gregoritsch’s 81st-minute goal deciding the game.

David Moyes’ charges could be relatively calm after the half-time break in Freiburg. On the other hand, they had to regret the missed chances of Mavropanos, Lucas Paqueta or Jarrod Bowen.

In the end, however, the Hammers came away from the first leg of the Europa League eight-final with a defeat, as Michael Gregoritsch decided Freiburg’s victory in the 81st minute.

On Thursday night, West Ham will play for everything at the London Stadium. The Hammers will try to evoke the spirit of Sevilla, where they overcame a similar deficit in the Europa League two years ago.

Freiburg, however, are in a more advantageous position and they also have experience of European Cups. Christian Streich’s charges went unbeaten through the Europa League group stage last season, leaving Olympiakos, Karabakh and Nantes behind.

In the knockout, however, the German side failed against Juventus. In the current competition, they finished second in the group stage just behind West Ham. In the group, they again faced Olympiakos and Bačka Topola, among others.

The match between West Ham and Freiburg will be refereed by Italian Guida

Freiburg had to go through the 1/16 final to reach the eighth round, in which they succeeded this time against RC Lens. As for their form in domestic competition, they are currently only eighth in the league table. It is certainly good news for West Ham that they will have almost a full squad at their disposal.

As for the upcoming match, it will be managed by the full Italian contingent, led by Marco Guida. He has overseen almost 400 matches at domestic and international level, including five Milan derbies between Inter and AC.

Referees: Marco Guida (ITA)
Assistant referees: Filippo Meli (ITA) and Giorgio Peretti (ITA)
Fourth referee: Daniele Chiffi (ITA)
VAR: Aleandro Di Paolo (ITA)
Assistant VAR: Luca Pairetto (ITA)

Source: UEFA, West Ham United