On Thursday evening, West Ham and Freiburg go head-to-head at the London Stadium in the last-16 second leg of the Europa League.
With the reverse fixture ending 1-0 in favour of the visitors, there is still all to play for in this tie.
West Ham in mixed form of lateLast time out, the Irons' 2-2 home draw with relegation-threatened Burnley continued their inconsistent recent form. The result means that David Moyes’ team has won just two of their previous 12 games in all competitions.
The home team has at least been effective in front of goal of late, scoring at least two goals in three of their previous four competitive matches.
The first-leg defeat ended West Ham's three-game winning run in the Europa League and also ended a run of three straight clean sheets in the competition.
The recent clean sheets have contributed to their last four matches in the Europa League producing under 2.5 goals.
Freiburg are in decent formThe Black Forest team heads into this game after a 2-1 victory at Bochum in the Bundesliga. The win saw Christian Streich’s team stretch their unbeaten run to three competitive games, having recorded back-to-back wins.
The visitors' recent outings have not been short on goals, as over 2.5 goals have been scored in five of their last six matches.
Freiburg’s recent form in the Europa League has been mixed. However, they are unbeaten in three games in the competition. Unlike their recent games, their recent matches in European football’s secondary competition have been low-scoring, with under 2.5 goals scored in three of their last four outings.
The visitor’s recent away record in the Europa League could not be more inconsistent, as they have won two, drawn two, and lost two of their previous six matches on their travels.
What am I backing?In terms of quality, I don’t feel there is too much difference between these two sides. I expect this to be a cagey and even affair with few goals. With that in mind, the bet I am backing is under 2.5 goals.
