SC Freiburg Haberleri

Five SC players are set to feature in the Nations League, including Philipp Lienhart, Michael Gregoritsch and Junior Adamu, who have two home games coming up with the Austria national team against Kazakhstan and Norway. The Austrians sit third in their group on one point. Eren Dinkci has once again been called up to the Türkiye national squad and now hopes to make his first appearance in his national colours during the fixtures against Montenegro and Iceland. Florent Muslija will also take part in the Nations League with Kosovo and will face Cyprus and Lithuania.

The longest away day of the season awaits SC and their fans on Saturday, with around...

“Bruno caught our attention after a great season with the U19s as well as with his displays for the second team last year. He has continued to develop after a seamless transition into the first team during pre-season,” said sporting director Klemens Hartenbach. “His tough tackling and speed are really impressive, and his versatility across the back line is a real asset. We hope to be able to assist his development together going forward.”

The match started with the hosts having the majority of the ball. The promoted side, who had picked up just one point from their first four matches ahead of the game, sat deep and tried to close off any space for SC to attack. Neither goalkeeper had much to do in the early stages. However, Noah Atubolu was left with no chance when St. Pauli threatened SCF’s goal for the first time. Freiburg were unable to clear a long ball into the penalty area, and Elias Saad pounced to give the visitors the lead. The opener came from nowhere, and SC suddenly found themselves falling behind for the third home game in a row.

“Johan already impressed us at the end of last season when training with the first team. He’s taken another big step in his development so far this term. His hunger, power and desire in the final third are all great attributes,” said sporting director Klemens Hartenbach. “Johan has a great mix of sporting quality and a realistic and humble opinion of himself. These are things that have often helped SC academy players in the past. We’re delighted that he’s extended his contract.”

The SC head coach was also impressed by the upcoming opponent from a sporting perspective. “We were able to watch how they played against Leipzig last Sunday. They could have won that game. They played good football and operated as a team.”

The Freiburg coaching staff had been forced into making two changes from the home win against Bochum for their fifth clash with FCH. Merlin Röhl, who suffered a tear in his syndesmosis a week ago, was replaced by former Heidenheim player Eren Dinkci. Max Rosenfelder, on the other hand, had to pull out at short notice with back problems and was replaced by Matthias Ginter. Kiliann Sildillia was also absent with the young Frenchman suffering from muscular problems.

Of the 41 teams that SC have encountered in the Bundesliga, Heidenheim are the only side that Freiburg are yet to beat. In the 2015/16 season, which was the last time that SC played in Bundesliga 2, they took all six points from the two clashes between the neighbouring clubs.

“Merlin has undergone a positive development at the highest level, just as we had all hoped he would. He has been able to demonstrate his qualities as a footballer and his intelligence as a player in various positions and is an important part of our team,” said board member for sport Jochen Saier. “Merlin has dedicated a lot of time and hard work each and every day to developing in various areas. It’s a great fit for us and we’re delighted to be continuing to work together.”

Hartenbach: Having your birthday at the end of August as a sporting director is pretty unfortunate (laughs). There have been a few birthdays where the guests have been sat in the living room and I’ve been at my computer in the kitchen. This year though, Jochen Saier (board member for sport) was working hard on a few departures. Things weren’t as hectic regarding players coming in to the club on this occasion, mainly thanks to the great work done by lots of people at SC, who ensured we got our business done nice and early.