West Ham United looked to have regained form after a dreadful start to 2024 but met a hitch in the road after falling to a 1-0 defeat against Freiburg last Thursday.
The first leg of their Europa League last 16 tie was contested in relative comfort for David Moyes' side before substitute Michael Gregoritsch pounced late on to leave work to do in London, with poor finishing the crux of West Ham's struggles.
That said, numerous players are capable of making an impact in the final third in east London, but the performance of captain Kurt Zouma in the backline will be crucial, allowing the Frenchman's offensive peers to flourish.
Why Kurt Zouma will be crucial vs Freiburg
Zouma was rested for West Ham's Premier League clash against relegation-threatened Burnley on Sunday afternoon and the Clarets stormed into an unlikely two-goal lead before half-time.
Sure, the Hammers recovered after the break but it's clear that Zouma's presence will be pivotal this evening given Konstantinos Mavropanos and Nayef Aguerd's collective lack of authority, the former notably netting an own goal.
Zouma, 29, should have done better to close down Gregoritsch last week and, truthfully, he's not enjoying his finest campaign for West Ham, but there's no question that he is the club's best centre-back and has still impressed with 3.1 ball recoveries and 4.9 clearances per game in the top-flight this season, as per Sofascore, also winning 54% of his duels.
The £125k-per-week star also ranks among the top 9% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals scored per 90, as per FBref, so his imposing threat from set-pieces could make all the difference against a Freiburg side that will battle fiercely to protect their advantage.
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Unleashing him from the outset will be key, but probably more important is the return of Edson Alvarez to the starting line-up, with the Mexico international introduced at the break against Burnley to stabilise the ship and guide his team toward a draw.
Edson Alvarez will be the difference-maker tonight
West Ham signed Alvarez from Ajax for around £35m last summer as the most direct replacement for Declan Rice, who now plays his trade for Arsenal.
The tough-tackling midfielder has been described as "invaluable" by pundit Rio Ferdinand in the past and he definitely looks to be the solvent in the centre, with his four missed appearances in the Premier League yielding poor results.
Sheffield United (A)
21/01/2023
2-2 draw
Fulham (A)
10/12/2023
5-0 loss
Brentford (A)
04/11/2024
3-2 loss
Bournemouth (A)
12/08/2024
1-1 draw
To highlight his importance, the 26-year-old has completed 86% of his passes in the league this season, averaging 4.9 successful duels, 2.6 tackles, 2.5 clearances and 5.3 ball recoveries per match.
He won six duels and made two tackles against Burnley and will be vital in beating down West Ham's German opposition tonight, doing the groundwork that will allow Jarrod Bowen and co to find openings.
The 6 foot 2 ace was rested on Sunday in preparation for the clash against Freiburg and while it's clear that he will indeed start, the importance of his performance cannot be understated: he will determine the outcome of West Ham's European conquest today.