West Ham need to win big against Olympiacos tonight in their bid to stay on top of Europa League Group A just one goal better off than Freiburg. The German outfit play bottom team Backa Topola who have just one point from their three games so a good win is on the cards for the Bundesliga outfit which might take them clear of us on goal difference. We of course beat them away 2-1 but we really let ourselves down against the Greeks and there can be no repeats of the type of performance we saw against them at the London Stadium this evening
West Ham need to win big at London Stadium
It is well worth remembering that the eight group winners goo into the round of 16 automatically which takes place in February and that there will be additional knockout round play-offs prior to that which will be between the eight UEFA Europa League group runners-up and the eight third-ranked teams from the UEFA Champions League groups.
With such a crowded fixture programme we can do without more games and a restart in the final stages of the competition after Christmas is a much better option. So whatever is happening inside the London Stadium tonight most will be keeping an eye on their phones to see how Freiburg are doing against Backa Topola. So a big win please Hammers with two important games to come after tonight but with a possibility of goal difference enter the equation!
I believe the first tiebreaker is head to head points, so it’s unlikely that GD will enter into play. Good thing!
If we beat Freiburg again (this time at home), we advance to the next round. If we beat Backa Topola first, a draw against Freiburg will be enough.
We need to top the group so there will be no further Europa League game until March. That will mean beating Freiburg at home.