“That gives us courage”

Dortmund may well always look for Friday evening games in their fixture list since they are currently on a remarkable run. BVB are unbeaten in their last 35 Bundesliga home games on Friday evenings. SC are now set to travel to Signal Iduna Park, with 2,500 fans accompanying them.

Matthias Ginter will not be present as he’s been struggling with an Achilles tendon injury last time out and had to be substituted after 83 minutes in the 3-1 defeat against VfB Stuttgart. “He’s been dealing with pain for quite a few weeks,” Christian Streich said on Ginter. “We’ve decided to treat his injury conservatively. He’s getting treatment on a daily basis and we need to see how things develop. We can’t make any predictions.”

Additionally, Merlin Röhl, who was given a two-game suspension for his red card against Stuttgart, will have to be replaced by Freiburg’s coaching staff at the weekend. The midfielder called in sick on Thursday and wouldn’t have been available in Dortmund anyway.

Weighing up options for Günter

However, there is also positive news for the squad. Ritsu Doan is set to make his comeback for SC Freiburg after returning from the Asian Cup, which his head coach is pleased about: “He’ll be with us in Dortmund. We’re very glad that he’s here because Ritsu has quality. I’m certain that we’ll see a hungry, sharp Ritsu Doan, whether he starts the game or comes off the bench.”

Captain Christian Günter has responded well to his approximately 20-minute cameo appearance against VfB. “Everything’s okay with Christian,” Streich said. “Perhaps he’ll start tomorrow, maybe he’ll come off the bench. I’m looking at all the options for him to get game time.” An appearance for the U23s, who are in action against Arminia Bielefeld on Saturday, is also a possibility.

Staying alert from the start “an issue”

SCF have conceded eight times in the first 15 minutes of the games they’ve played this season, which includes Stuttgart’s first two goals last Saturday. “It’s not something you should dwell on, otherwise you start to get in a spin. That being said, it’s an issue,” stated Christian Streich, “We’ve got to take every last detail into consideration.” The Freiburg coaching staff have been analysing Deniz Undav’s opener from the weekend in depth. “We’re very self-critical, but we didn’t do much wrong in that scenario. Anton’s ball was sensational.”

Freiburg also found themselves trailing 1-0 after 11 minutes in their home game against Friday’s opponents. They came back from behind to lead 2-1, before ultimately falling to a 4-2 defeat. “We deserved at least a draw when we played them earlier in the season. It’s given us a boost,” said SCF’s head coach.

Streich continued by explaining that staying calm in possession, keeping things tight at the back and supporting one another will be key in front of 80,000 fans in Dortmund. “Even Dortmund aren’t perfect. We’ll have our chances.”

Photo: Achim Keller