West Ham vs Freiburg LIVE: Europa League team news, line ups ...
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West Ham face an uphill battle to remain in Europe’s second-tier competition when they host Freiburg this evening.
The Hammers fell to a controversial 1-0 defeat in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie. David Moyes’ side were controversially denied a late penalty to level the tie.
The two teams have already faced each other in the competition this year. In the group stages, West Ham won both matches and will have the benefit of the home advantage as they look to turn over the deficit and reach the quarter-finals of the competition.
In the pre-match press conference, Moyes insisted the club have been enjoying their recent European runs, he said: “If you want to be on the big stage, now is the time to act. If you can’t perform, don’t go on stage. From the first game we had in Europe, we’ve been on a good ride and no one wants that to end.”
Follow all the live action in the blog below, and get the latest odds and tips here.
When is the Europa League draw?
The draws for the quarter-finals and semi-finals will take place at Uefa’s headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland on Friday 15 March, at 12pm GMT.
How to watch on TV and online
The draw will be live-streamed via the Uefa Europa League website. Viewers can also watch it on TNT Sports as well as via the Discovery+ app and website.
How does it work?
The draw will feature the eight remaining teams in the competition. There are no restrictions on which clubs face one another, so teams who played each other during the group stage can meet in the quarter-finals, as can sides from the same national domestic league.
Ties take place over two legs, with the first legs set for 11 April and the second legs a week later on 18 April. With no away goals advantage, matches level after 180 minutes will go to extra time and, if necessary, a penalty shootout.
Sonia Twigg14 March 2024 16:00
Europa League sides are set to find out their quarter-final opponents when the draw takes place next Friday.
There are four British teams currently competing in the last-16 and hoping to be in the draw, with Liverpool almost there already thanks to their 5-1 thrashing of Sparta Prague. Rangers and West Ham still have work to do when they host Benfica and Freiburg respectively on Thursday night, while Brighton need to pull off a miracle after losing 4-0 at Roma in the first leg.
Marseille, Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan are all well placed to reach the quarter-finals in their respective ties, while it’s more even in the tie between Atalanta and Sporting after a 1-1 draw in the first leg.
As well as the quarter-finals, the semi-final draw will also be made, so clubs will be able to plot their route to the final in Dublin on Wednesday 22 May.
Sonia Twigg14 March 2024 15:30
Firstly, there was an England squad update, and a key West Ham player missed out.
Jarrad Branthwaite and Anthony Gordon have received their first England call-ups but there was no place for Kalvin Phillips in Gareth Southgate’s last squad before making his Euro 2024 selection.
Phillips has been dropped after a torrid run of form since he joined West Ham on loan in January.
Phillips was at fault for a goal on his debut against Bournemouth before he was sent off at Nottingham Forest last month and hooked at half-time of Sunday’s 2-2 draw at home to Burnley.
Sonia Twigg14 March 2024 15:00
Good afternoon and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of the second leg of the Europa League last-16 match between West Ham and Freiburg at the London Stadium.
The Hammers go into the game with a 1-0 deficit from the first leg.
Sonia Twigg13 March 2024 15:28
