West Ham United have been drawn to face SC Freiburg in the UEFA Europa League round of 16.
The Hammers will take on the German side in a two-legged tie, with the first leg to be played away on Thursday 7 March, with the return to be played at London Stadium on Thursday 14 March. Kick-off times will be confirmed shortly.
David Moyes’ men are competing in the knockout stages of continental competition for the third season in succession will reach an unprecedented third successive European quarter-final should they overcome their Bundesliga opponents.
The two sides know each other very well, having faced off twice in the group stage. The Hammers won both ties, triumphing 2-1 in Germany in early October before recording a 2-0 victory at home at the start of December.
While West Ham topped Group A, Freiburg finished as runners-up and defeated RC Lens of France 3-2 on aggregate in the knockout round play-offs to set up two more clashes with the Irons.
Tickets are currently on sale for the second leg at London Stadium to Bondholders and Season Ticket Holders, and you can buy now at eticketing.co.uk/whufc, over the phone on 0333 030 1966 or in person at the London Stadium Ticket Office. You won't want to miss out, so secure your seat now!
As mentioned, the Hammers won both Group A ties before Christmas. Headers from Lucas Paquetá and Nayef Aguerd secured a 2-1 victory at the Stadion am Wolfswinkel on matchday two, before first-half goals from Mohammed Kudus and Edson Álvarez secured a 2-0 home win and top spot on matchday six.
Aside from those ties, West Ham have faced German opposition on nine previous occasions in Europe – level with Belgium and second only to Romania, whose clubs the Hammers have faced ten times.
Most famously, the Irons defeated TSV 1860 Munich – then of West Germany – 2-0 in the 1965 European Cup Winners’ Cup final. The following season, Ron Greenwood’s Hammers defeated 1. FC Magdeburg of East Germany in the quarter-finals of the same competition before being edged out by Borussia Dortmund of West Germany in the semi-finals.
In the 1975/76 European Cup Winners’ Cup, Trevor Brooking inspired a sensational comeback victory over Eintract Frankfurt of West German in the semi-finals. However, the same opponents gained revenge when they defeated Moyes’ Hammers in the UEFA Europa League semi-finals in 2021/22.
