Opponent analysis: RB Leipzig vs SC Freiburg

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14 November 2023, 08:15 yayınlandı

Back at home against Freiburg!

RB Leipzig will face off against SC Freiburg on matchday 11 of the Bundesliga season. The match kicks off at 19:30 CET on Sunday, 12th November. RBL are aiming to pick up three points in the league after their victory over Crvena zvezda in the Champions League.

Freiburg are currently eighth in the league and are looking to climb the table. In our opponent analysis, we’ve compiled all the information on SCF’s form, key players and recent record against RB Leipzig.

Current form

SC Freiburg will go into the game against RBL off the back of a 5-0 victory in the Europa League against Serbian club TSC Backa Topola. SCF have picked up 14 points in the league so far and currently sit in eighth place.
Freiburg have lacked consistency so far, with results varying wildly from week to week. Last weekend, they came back from two goals down to secure a point against Borussia Mönchengladbach, after Vinenzo Grifo scored a last-minute penalty to make the score 3-3. Prior to that, they were knocked out of the DFB-Pokal by second-division side SC Paderborn (3-1), before losing 2-1 to Bayer Leverkusen.

Freiburg’s form in numbers

SC Freiburg…

…have scored 13 goals and conceded 19
…have picked up ten of their 14 points at home.
…win more challenges than any other team in the Bundesliga and have a challenge success rate of 52.1%. RBL lie just behind them (52%).
…are dangerous from set-pieces and crosses: eight of their 13 Bundesliga goals have come from penalties (3) or balls into the box (5).

Squad

Transfer market

SC Freiburg lost their starting goalkeeper in summer, as Mark Flekken made the switch to Premier League side Brentford. SCF have opted to promote from within, handing home-grown shot-stopper Noah Atubolu the number one shirt for this season. Florian Müller, who arrived from VfB Stuttgart, is Atubolu’s back-up.
SCF bolstered their attack during the transfer window by bringing in Junior Adamu (Red Bull Salzburg) and Maximilian Philipp (loaned from VfL Wolfsburg). These deals were made after club stalwart Nils Petersen’s retirement and Woo-yeong Jeong’s move to VfB Stuttgart.

Key players

Matthias Ginter returned to SCF last season after spells at Borussia Dortmund and Borussia Mönchengladbach. The centre-back began his career in Freiburg and has played the full 90 minutes in almost every game since returning to Breisgau, only missing this season’s match against FC Bayern due to illness. The 29-year-old is undoubtedly Freiburg’s key man at the back.
Vincenzo Grifo is SC’s key man going forward. The 30-year-old both scores and assists goals for his team. RBL will have to keep a close eye on the Italian, especially since he’s so dangerous from dead-ball scenarios. He also captains the side in Christian Günter’s absence.

Lucas Höler has become a crucial part of SCF’s attack in recent years. The striker works tirelessly off the ball and is another Freiburg player who can both score and set up goals, having bagged twice and registered an assist in the league this season.

Absentees

Club captain Günter’s injury is a bitter pill to swallow for SCF, as the left-back would normally play every minute. The 30-year-old broke his forearm in a pre-season friendly. Daniel-Kofi Kyereh (ACL tear)is another Freiburg player who is expected to be sidelined for a long time.
Maximilian Philipp (separated shoulder) and Roland Sallai (muscle strain) are carrying less serious injuries, but will still miss Sunday’s game.

All the latest about RBL’s squad

Trainer

Christian Streich was the longest-serving coach in the Bundesliga for a long time before Frank Schmidt (16 years, two months) took the number one spot after Heidenheim’s promotion. Streich has still been at SCF for an impressive 11 years and ten months.
The 58-year-old has transformed Freiburg from relegation candidates to a side that regularly challenges for European football. SCF have qualified for the Europa League twice in a row after a fifth-place finish last season and coming sixth in the 2021/22 campaign. Streich normally cuts a calm, collected figure on the touchline, but has been known to get vocal. He’s practically earned the right to decide how long he wants to stay on as SCF’s head coach and has publicly ruled out moves to other clubs in the past.

RBL’s record against Freiburg

Head-to-head

10 wins, four draws, four losses- 41 goals scored, 21 conceded
Five home wins, four away wins + victory in the DFB-Pokal final at the Olympiastadion in Berlin
Top goalscorer:Timo Werner (seven goals)
Biggest win:5-1 on 2nd May 2023 (Goals: 2x Szoboszlai, Olmo, Henrichs, Nkunku)

The last five matches

6th May 2023 | Bundesliga, matchday 31: SC Freiburg 0–1 RB Leipzig
2nd May 2023 | DFB-Pokal, semi-final: SC Freiburg 1–5 RB Leipzig
9th November 2022 | Bundesliga, matchday 14: RB Leipzig 3–1 SC Freiburg
21st May 2022 | DFB-Pokal, final: SC Freiburg 1–1 RB Leipzig (3-5 on penalties)
5th March 2022 | Bundesliga, matchday 25: RB Leipzig 1–1 SC Freiburg