SC Freiburg vs West Ham Soccer Betting Odds, Preview
Europa League Group A Action
Conference League Champions Head to Germany
Over the last few years, both SC Freiburg and West Ham United have risen to become perennial European contenders in their respective leagues. West Ham even won a European trophy last season, defeating Fiorentina in the UEFA Europa Conference League final.
The Conference League champions head to Germany on Thursday to take on Freiburg in Europa League play. Both teams won their opening matches, and we’ll run through the Freiburg vs West Ham soccer betting odds for what should be an entertaining match.
SC Freiburg vs. West Ham
Location: Europa-Park Stadion, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
Date & Time: Thursday, October 5th, 12:45 p.m. ET
Head-to-Head:
This is the first opportunity to take the Freiburg vs West Ham soccer betting odds in European competition. The only other time these teams met was when West Ham went on a German tour all the way back in 1924. Freiburg picked up a 5-2 win, which was West Ham’s only loss on their tour.
Freiburg Inconsistent So Far
SC Freiburg’s season has been a mixed bag so far, but they are unbeaten in their last three matches in all competitions. Over the weekend, Freiburg picked up a 2-0 Bundesliga win over Augsburg. Freiburg won an early penalty, and Vincenzo Grifo confidently slotted it home. Grifo also assisted on Philipp Lienhart’s second half header, which doubled Freiburg’s lead.
It was a second straight shutout for Freiburg, as they drew 0-0 at Eintracht Frankfurt the week prior. The German club also went on the road and defeated Olympiacos 3-2 in their Europa League opener. Freiburg went unbeaten in the group stage in 2022-23 and finished on top of the Group G Europa League table but fell in the round of 16 to Juventus.
While Freiburg scored three times in their Europa League opener, offense has been a problem for them this season. They’ve scored just seven Bundesliga goals in six matches, and no Freiburg player has more than one league goal. Freiburg have also suffered a couple of heavy losses and have been inconsistent this season. They fell 5-0 at Stuttgart in early September and lost 4-2 to Borussia Dortmund at home a few weeks ago.
Bowen, Soucek Shining for Hammers
West Ham ended last week unscathed as they defeated Lincoln City 1-0 in the EFL Cup and took down Sheffield United 2-0 in the Premier League. Tomas Soucek scored the winner vs. Lincoln City and also got on the scoresheet vs. the Blades. Winger Jarrod Bowen opened up the scoring vs. Sheffield United, which was his fifth goal in the EPL this season. Bowen will likely be included in England’s squad for the upcoming internationals next week.
A look at the Europa League scores shows that the Hammers won their opener 3-1 vs. Serbian side TSC Backa Topola. West Ham fell behind at the London Stadium, but a Mohammed Kudus double gave them the lead. Soucek added a third for David Moyes’s side.
West Ham’s only losses so far this season have come vs. Premier League giants Liverpool and Manchester City. With a new look squad, the Hammers have proven they can compete with anyone. Along with Kudus, Edson Alvarez and James Ward-Prowse have transitioned seamlessly to their new club. West Ham’s goal will be to reach the Europa League final 2023-24 after defeating Fiorentina in the Conference League Final back in June.
Match Analysis & Odds
West Ham have never taken on SC Freiburg in a UEFA match, but the Hammers are just 2-5 all-time vs. German clubs in European competition. Meanwhile, this is SC Freiburg’s first-ever match vs. an English club in UEFA competition. The Freiburg vs West Ham soccer betting odds price hosts Freiburg as incredibly slight +158 underdogs. In what is expected to be a very close match, West Ham are currently +157 favorites. Both West Ham pk and Freiburg pk come in at -115 odds.
West Ham have won 15 of their last 16 matches in UEFA competition, and their last loss came to German side Eintracht Frankfurt in the 2021-22 Europa League semifinals. Bettors can take a draw at +275 odds for this one. Freiburg have a few players set to miss out on this match, including Yannik Keitel, Christian Gunter and Daniel-Kofi Kyereh. Notably, Freiburg conceded just three goals in last season’s group stage but already conceded two in their 2023-24 opener.
For Thursday’s match, under three goals display -130 odds. Punters should be aware that West Ham are on a 16-match scoring streak in UEFA competition and have scored in every match they’ve played this season. This season, Jarrod Bowen and James Ward-Prowse have been West Ham’s biggest dangers. While Bowen leads the Hammers in scoring, Ward-Prowse has provided five assists, in all competitions.
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