Position
The prowess of James Ward-Prowse at set pieces is well known, given only David Beckham has more Premier League goals from free-kicks than his 17. But the 29-year-old hadn’t scored directly from a corner until the weekend, snatching a winner for West Ham as they came from behind to win at Wolverhampton Wanderers, after Lucas Paqueta had levelled from the penalty spot in the 73rd minute. Perhaps Ward-Prowse was given a helpful boost by Storm Kathleen, which was impacting the UK over the weekend, but he still got his angles spot on to find the net from the corner flag and end the Hammers’ four-game winless run in the league.
It was only a fourth competitive win of this year from 17 fixtures for David Moyes’ team, who have lost six and drawn seven in 2024. However, things are going much better this season for the club from London’s East End than 2022/23. With six games left to go, they are already eight points better off than their final total last season as they finished 14.
That disappointing domestic campaign was balanced with continental success as the Hammers beat Fiorentina 2-1 to lift the UEFA Europa Conference League. It also ensured their qualification for the Europa League, where they progressed through the group stage as section winners with 15 of a possible 18 points. Only Bayer 04 enjoyed a better group campaign with a perfect six wins. That included two wins against Freiburg, who West Ham met again in the round of 16. A 1-0 defeat in Germany was followed by a comprehensive 5-0 victory back at the London Stadium to book their place in the last eight of a European competition for the third year in a row.
As mentioned, it’s the second time this season the Werkself will face West Ham, after last August’s 4-0 friendly win at the BayArena.
Personnel
Former Schalke defender Thilo Kehrer scored an own goal in that friendly but has since left the club for Monaco. Pablo Fornals (Real Betis), Said Benrahma (Lyon) and Conor Coventry (Charlton Athletic) have also departed, while the loan arrival of Kalvin Philips from Manchester City was the only winter addition at the London Stadium.
West Ham have alternated their goalkeepers this season, with Alphonse Areola mostly being used in the league, while Lukasz Fabianski has been deployed in Europe. The Pole is the oldest player in the squad at 38. Moyes has settled lately on the centre-back pairing of Kurt Zouma and former VfB Stuttgart man Konstantinos Mavropanos. Vladimir Coufal has been the first-choice right-back, with Emerson or Aaron Cresswell down the left. Mexican Edson Alvarez and Czech Tomas Soucek are the usual midfield duo.
Paqueta is the creative force, with Freiburg’s Matthias Ginter saying after their contests: “He’s definitely the complete package. You have to expect everything when he’s on the ball.” The Brazilian has four goals in eight Europa League outings this season and mostly plays down the left. Ward-Prowse pulls the strings in the centre, while Mohammed Kudus provides pace on the right and also has four goals in Europe this term. Jarrod Bowen is the man up front with 15 Premier League goals to his name, having also netted the winner in last year’s Conference League final. However, he went off injured in the second half of the weekend’s win over Wolves. “We hope he’ll be okay for Thursday, because you need all your top players in this stage of the season,” said Moyes. Tim Steidten has been responsible for assembling the West Ham squad as technical director as of this summer, after leaving his role as sporting general manager at Bayer 04.
Performers
The Hammers’ main asset it their attack. “They have brutal quality up front,” said Freiburg boss Christian Streich after his side’s 5-0 loss in London. The collective of Kudus, who scored twice that day, Paqueta, Bowen, Ward-Prowse and Michail Antonio pose a challenge to any defence.
Problems
Remarkably, West Ham have already conceded 56 goals in their 32 Premier League fixtures this season. Only bottom three Luton Town, Burnley and Sheffield United, plus Brentford, have a worse defensive record. The Hammers have suffered some heavy defeats at the hands of Aston Villa (4-1), Fulham (5-0) and at home to Arsenal in February (6-0).
They’ve been better in Europe, though, conceding only five times in their eight games so far, which is the fewest of all teams to have made it into the quarter-finals from the group stage. Freiburg are the only team to breach the Hammers’ defence in the most recent five outings, while Moyes’ side have also allowed the fewest clear-cut chances of all teams in the Europa League.
Prediction
Which West Ham will we see at the BayArena? It’s tough to say. “We want to take the momentum from the Wolves win into Thursday,” said Cresswell looking ahead to the trip to Germany. “We know it’ll be very tough there, but we’re ready. We have a few really important weeks ahead of us and have to remain positive. We’re still in the hunt in the Premier League and Europe, and will give our best in every game.” The Werkself can be certain of that come kick-off in the first leg.
