West Ham United will be taking on Gent in the Europa Conference League play-offs on Thursday. The match will be played at the London Stadium, and is sure to be an exciting affair. Both teams have been in good form lately, and will be looking to take the next step in their respective European campaigns.
West Ham United have been in impressive form this season, and have been able to challenge for a place in the Premier League top four. They have been able to make some impressive signings, such as Jesse Lingard, and have been able to build a strong squad. They will be looking to use this match as an opportunity to showcase their quality, and progress to the next round of the competition.
Gent, on the other hand, have been in impressive form in the Belgian Pro League. They have been able to challenge for the title, and have been able to make some impressive signings, such as former Arsenal midfielder Lucas Torreira. They will be looking to use this match as an opportunity to showcase their quality, and progress to the next round of the competition.
In this article, we will be taking a look at the key points to consider ahead of the match between West Ham United and Gent. We will be looking at the team news, the form of both teams, and the key players to watch out for.
1. Team News: West Ham United will be without the services of their star striker Michail Antonio, who is out with a hamstring injury. They will be hoping that Jesse Lingard can fill the void left by the Englishman, and will be looking to make an impact on the game. Gent, on the other hand, will be without the services of their star midfielder Lucas Torreira, who is out with a knee injury.
2. Form: West Ham United have been in impressive form this season, and have been able to challenge for a place in the Premier League top four. They have been able to make some impressive signings, such as Jesse Lingard, and have been able to build a strong squad. Gent, on the other hand, have been in impressive form in the Belgian Pro League. They have been able to challenge for the title, and have been able to make some impressive signings, such as former Arsenal midfielder Lucas Torreira.
3. Key Players: West Ham United will be looking to Jesse Lingard to provide the spark in attack, as the Englishman has been in impressive form this season. They will also be looking to their goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski to provide a solid presence between the sticks. Gent, on the other hand, will be looking to their star midfielder Youssef El Arabi to provide the spark in attack, as the Moroccan has been in impressive form this season.
4. Tactics: West Ham United will be looking to use their possession-based style of play to dominate the game. They will be looking to build up play slowly, and then look to exploit the space in behind the Gent defence. Gent, on the other hand, will be looking to use their counter-attacking style of play to try and catch West Ham United on the break.
5. Previous Meetings: West Ham United and Gent have met twice before in European competition, with the first meeting coming in the UEFA Cup in 2004. West Ham United won the match 1-0, with a goal from Bobby Zamora. The second meeting came in the Europa League in 2016, with Gent winning the match 2-1.
6. Head to Head: West Ham United and Gent have met twice before in European competition, with West Ham United winning one of the matches and Gent winning the other. The two teams have never met in the Europa Conference League before, and this will be the first time they have faced each other in the competition.
7. Weather: The weather is expected to be mild on the day of the match, with temperatures reaching up to 18 degrees Celsius. There is a chance of light rain, but it is not expected to affect the match.
8. Home Advantage: West Ham United will be playing at their home ground, the London Stadium, and will be looking to use this to their advantage. The atmosphere at the stadium is always electric, and the home fans will be looking to get behind their team and give them the edge.
9. Referee: The referee for the match will be German referee Felix Zwayer. Zwayer has been a referee in the Bundesliga since 2011, and is known for his no-nonsense approach to the game.
10. Live Streaming: Fans who are not able to attend the match will be able to watch it live on various streaming services, such as Sky Sports and BT Sport. This will be a great way for fans to keep up to date with the match, and to follow the progress of their team.