West Ham United will continue their Europa League campaign against Freiburg in Germany today, having defeated Serbian side Backa Topola in their group stage opener at the London Stadium.
David Moyes’ team are fresh off lifting the Europa Conference League trophy with a victory against Fiorentina in June, and they have a roster strong enough to accomplish so, having made a slew of new acquisitions to compensate for the £105 million sale of Declan Rice.
They’ve started the season well both domestically and in Europe, but a win against the Bundesliga outfit would really put them in the driver’s seat.
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The Hammers will be without Michail Antonio, who, along with Ben Johnson and Aaron Cresswell, has not traveled to Germany.
Apart from that, Moyes has a fairly fresh squad to choose from, having defeated Sheffield United 2-0 in the Premier League over the weekend.
However, rotation may be implemented as the unrelenting fixture list continues to churn, and with an approaching match against high-flying Newcastle United, making some changes may be a sensible move.
| West Ham Summer Signings (via eurosports1) | |
|---|---|
| Player | Price |
| Mohammed Kudus | £38m |
| James Ward-Prowse | £30m |
| Edson Alvarez | £35m |
| Konstantinos Mavropanos | £19m |
| Sean Moore | N/A |
Why should West Ham put Pablo Fornals in the starting lineup?
Moyes would be wise to give Pablo Fornals only his third start in all competitions this season at the Stade Europa-Park, making him less important than he has been since his £24 million signing from Villarreal in 2019.
The 27-year-old Spaniard has made 188 appearances for the Hammers and was instrumental in the club winning the Conference League last season, a feat described as “unbelievable” by journalist Karl Matchett.
A dynamic and creative midfielder, Fornals can play both down the left channel and in a more central position, and given that he is currently out of contract at the end of the season, he will be desperate to take his chances to impress.
He already did so in the first Europa League match against TSC, completing 81% of his passes, making one key pass, and taking 48 touches from his attacking midfield role.
Further upfield, some might expect Danny Ings to lead the line with Antonio sidelined, but the veteran striker has not been at the races so far this season and hasn’t scored across seven appearances.
Kudus off the mark ⚒️@WestHam || #UEL pic.twitter.com/SasmZt34zp
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) September 25, 2023
As such, Mohammed Kudus’ energy and threat could be well-equipped to deal with a Freiburg defence that has kept clean sheets across the past two outings.
Kudus has scored five goals and supplied one assist this season, but only one of those goals has come during his time as an Iron, bagging a hat-trick for Ajax in their Europa League qualifier in August.
As per FBref, the 23-year-old maverick ranks among the top 6% of positional peers for goals scored, the top 1% for pass completion and the top 1% for successful take-ons per 90, illustrating his threat and crispness, as well as his knack at driving forward as a box-crashing star.
The £65k-per-week Fornals could be integral in providing Kudus with apt supplementation, with the six-cap international ranking among the top 11% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for progressive passes and the top 17% for passes attempted per 90.
Such reliable support is just what Kudus needs to harness his qualities in the final third, and while Freiburg will not roll over for West Ham, such a partnership could be exactly what is needed to make it back-to-back victories on the continental scene.