SC Freiburg v West Ham United
UEFA Europa League round of 16 first leg, Stadion am Wolfswinkel, Thursday 7 March 2024, 9pm CET (8pm GMT)
After an 84-day wait, West Ham United’s 2023/24 UEFA Europa League campaign is set to resume on Thursday night, as David Moyes’ men look to gain a first leg advantage away from home against familiar opposition.
German Bundesliga outfit Sport-Club Freiburg were the last team the Hammers came up against in this year’s competition, in the group stage, and the draw has duly pitted the two sides together again with a spot in the quarter-finals at stake.
Back-to-back wins in the Premier League, against Brentford and Everton, will surely have provided West Ham with plenty of confidence and momentum as they look to build on last year’s UEFA Europa Conference League triumph with more continental success.
Indeed, they saw off Freiburg both home and away before Christmas, though they will be acutely aware of the hosts’ hopes of exacting revenge, especially on home soil and now in the knockout rounds.
Tickets…
West Ham fans are advised that the Club’s allocation of 2,230 tickets have sold out.
Tickets sold out to Bondholders, Away Scheme Members and Season Ticket Holders with 15+ Loyalty Points.
Travel…
The nearest airport is EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg, to which flights are available from London’s Heathrow and Gatwick Airports, albeit prices have risen sharply due to the increased demand.
From the airport, you can take a Flixbus coach to Freiburg, which takes 55 minutes and costs £21.30.
Stadion am Wolfswinkel is situated in the north of the city.
The best way to get there is to take the Line 4 on the VAG (tram) from Freiburg Hbf and get off at the ‘Europa-Park Stadion’ stop, from where it is a ten-minute walk to the ground. Alternatively, take the S-Bahn 1 line from Freiburg Hbf to Freiburg Messe/Universität, from where it is a 15-minute walk to the ground.
Your match ticket entitles you to a free one-time return trip to the stadium from five hours before kick-off until the end of service.
However, supporters should note that there is a strike planned by the German train drivers’ union which may disrupt long-distance Deutsche Bahn, regional and S-Bahn services from 2am CET on Thursday until 1pm CET on Friday.
Additionally, strike action by ground staff of German airline Lufthansa is expected to impact flights throughout the country and lead to cancellations during the same period.
Supporters travelling to Germany are urged to check all services in advance and allow ample time to reach Freiburg.
Further information on the public transport system in Germany and alternative travel options can be found by clicking here.
How To Follow…
Thursday’s tie will be broadcast live in the UK by TNT Sports.
Alternatively, you can follow the action via our live blog on whufc.com and our app, and across our social media channels. We will also have highlights and exclusive reaction for you after the final whistle on our website and social media.
Live audio commentary will be available in the UK on talkSPORT, and worldwide on our official website and app.
Team News…
Ahead of last weekend’s win at Everton in the Premier League, boss David Moyes explained that forward Maxwel Cornet is currently recovering from a hamstring injury he sustained in training late last month.
Aaron Cresswell, who missed the Brentford match with a knock, returned to the bench against the Toffees, while recent absentee Lucas Paquetá stepped up his return to full fitness by completing 80 minutes at Goodison Park.
Freiburg are set to be without Daniel-Kofi Kyereh (ACL), Max Rosenfelder (tendon), Lukas Kübler (hip) and Kenneth Schmidt (abdominal) for their home leg.
Philipp Lienhart, who is one caution away from a Europa League suspension, missed the Germans’ last game, but could return from an ongoing groin strain to make the matchday squad.
Opposition…
SC Freiburg are enjoying arguably the best period in their 120-year history.
The club traces its origins back to the formation of two teams in 1904. Freiburger Fußballverein 04 was formed in March of that year, while FC Schwalbe Freiburg was created just two months later. Each would undergo name changes in the years that followed, before coming together to form Sportclub Freiburg in 1912.
The side first reached the Bundesliga in 1993 and finished third, just three points behind winners Borussia Dortmund, in their second season at that level. They were most recently promoted back to the German top flight in 2016, having spent a season in 2. Bundesliga.
Freiburg finished fifth in the table last term to qualify directly to the UEFA Europa League group stage, and the Breisgau Brazilians are hoping to break new ground in their sixth campaign on the continent.
This level holds no fear for Christian Streich’s side though, as they came through a Europa League group containing Olympiacos, Qarabağ and Nantes unbeaten last season, before being defeated 3-0 on aggregate by Juventus in the round of 16.
This year, they had to make it through a play-off tie against RC Lens to progress to the same stage, having finished second behind West Ham United in Group A, that also saw them come up against FK TSC Bačka Topola and Olympiacos again.
Following a goalless first leg against the Frenchmen, Freiburg sealed a third (and fourth) meeting of the season with the Hammers with a 3-2 extra-time win on home soil, thanks to Michael Gregoritsch’s late strike.
They come into this contest ninth in their domestic top tier, but having earned an impressive 2-2 draw at home to European heavyweights Bayern Munich on their last outing.
Previous Meetings…
Prior to 2023/24, West Ham had faced a team from Freiburg just once - nearly 100 years ago in a post-season tour match.
The Irons were on the receiving end of a 5-2 loss in May 1924 by Freiburger FC - at the time the dominant club in the city - which came at the end of their first season as a Football League First Division team. Vic Watson and John Campbell were the goalscorers for those in Claret and Blue that day, in what was the Club’s first ever away defeat by continental European opposition.
More recently, goals from Lucas Paquetá and Nayef Aguerd earned a 2-1 victory for the Hammers on their first visit to Stadion am Wolfswinkel - and first meeting with SC Freiburg - in October 2023, two weeks after their group stage opening win at home to FK TSC.
Two months later, first-half strikes from Mohammed Kudus and Edson Álvarez settled the reverse tie at London Stadium without reply, sealing top spot in the group and automatic progression to the last 16 of this season’s UEFA Europa League.
Match Officials…
Referee: Alejandro Hernández (ESP)
Assistant Referees: José Naranjo (ESP) and Pau Cebrián Devís (ESP)
Fourth Official: José Luis Munuera (ESP)
VAR: Carlos del Cerro Grande (ESP)
Assistant VAR: Cesar Soto Grado (ESP)
A full Spanish contingent of officials will be led by Alejandro Hernández on Thursday, who has been a FIFA referee since 2014.
The 41-year-old was born in Arrecife, the capital city and a municipality of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands, and has been refereeing since the 2004/05 campaign.
He has taken charge of over 400 matches at both domestic and international level, including four El Clásicos between Barcelona and Real Madrid.
He has never refereed a West Ham match, but did serve as the Assistant Video Assistant Referee in last season’s UEFA Europa Conference League final against ACF Fiorentina, which of course ended in a dramatic 2-1 victory.
In 2021/22, Hernández led the VAR duties during the Hammers’ 1-0 defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt, that confirmed the Club’s exit from the Europa League at the semi-final stage.
Earlier this term, he was the man in the middle as Newcastle United fell 2-0 away at Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League group stage.
The man who refereed West Ham’s aforementioned Europa Conference League triumph, Carlos del Cerro Grande, will oversee Video Assistant Referee duties.
For more information about the officials, click here.
