Ready for the Farewell| Opponent Analysis: SC Freiburg

RBL visits Breisgau!

The Red Bulls face SC Freiburg on Matchday 28 this Saturday afternoon. Kick-off at the Europa-Park Stadion is at 3.30pm CET.

The fight for fourth place and the Champions League qualification that comes with it continues for the Red Bulls. The goal is clear: “We want to win and have to deliver consistently week after week in the season run-in,” emphasises our attacking midfielder Christoph Baumgartner with a view to the upcoming away game.

The Freiburgers, where Christian Streich‘s coaching era will come to an end at the end of the season, are going into the clash in good form and remain in sixth place.

Form, key players, H2H record – we check out our opponents!

SC Freiburg Form Check

Waiting for the third win at home
Freiburg recently won 3-0 at Borussia Mönchengladbach and not only celebrated their biggest win of the season, but also their second away win in a row (previously winning 2-1 in Bochum). At home, however, the Black Forest club have been waiting for a win for four Bundesliga games. In the last five, seven points have been added to their overall balance (two wins, one draw, two defeats).
Successful five times, at home and away
Freiburg are not only in eighth place in the overall table (36 points), but also in the home and away rankings. Streich’s team have collected 20 points at their Europa-Park Stadion and 16 away from home. Five of their 10 wins this season came in front of their own fans and five in other stadiums. However: 24 of the 39 goals scored came at home, and they already have eight defeats on the road.
Bitter exit from the Europa League
In mid-March, Freiburg suffered a disappointing exit from the Europa League. They faced Premier League outfit West Ham in the Round of 16. Streich‘s team had a 1-0 advantage from the first, home leg, but lost the second in London 5-0.

Personnel Situation Before #SCFRBL

Grifo the set piece taker (penalties, free-kicks, and a wicked right foot)
If Freiburg are awarded a penalty, Vincenzo Grifo steps up – as long as the German-Italian is on the pitch. Freiburg’s first choice in this regard has converted six of six attempts this season and is one of the most successful conversion specialists ever. Grifo also takes dangerous free kicks and sends a lot of crosses into the penalty area.
Gregoritsch in fine form (target man, goalscorer)
With 11 in all competitions, Michael Gregoritsch is his team’s most potent attacking asset this season alongside Grifo. The striker, (who stands at 1.93 meters/6’3″) last scored in Gladbach, and prior to that bagged a 15-minute hat-trick for Austria in a friendly win over Turkey (6-1). He also managed a hat-trick in the Europa League against Olympiakos (5-0) last November.
High-flying youngster Röhl (rising star, dynamic dribbler)
Germany U21 international Merlin Röhl (three goals, four assists) has made the step up this season, becoming a first-team regular for Freiburg. The youngster, who is versatile and can play in almost any attacking position, boosts Freiburg’s offensive options. In the reverse fixture at the Red Bull Arena, which our boys won 3-1, Röhl opened his Bundesliga account with a solo goal.

Absentees

Daniel-Kofi Kyereh (torn cruciate ligament)
Kenneth Schmidt (abdominal muscle injury)
Philipp Lienhart (knee problems)

The Head Coach

Christian Streich shocked everyone on 18 March when the 58-year-old announced via video message that he would be leaving Freiburg at the end of the season after 12 years as head coach. In total, Streich was with the club for almost three decades. Freiburg without him is almost unimaginable.
“I’ve thought about it for a long time and had lots of conversations, but I think after 29 years, now’s the right time to make room for new energy, new people and new opportunities,” he said. Under the tenured coach, Freiburg have transformed over the years from a team fighting against relegation to a candidate for European qualification.
His successor has already been found: From this summer on, Julian Schuster (38), currently the liaison officer between the youth ranks and the pro team, will be the main person on the sidelines. The former midfielder played for Freiburg from 2008 to 2018 and led the club as captain for many years. He will take on his first head coaching position next season.

Coach Facts

Name: Christian Streich
Birthday: 11 June 1965 in Weil am Rhein
Coaching Jobs: Freiburg since 2012
Achievements: “Coach of the Year” 2021/22, DFB Cup final 2022

Freiburg started the last game with this team

Atubolu – Keitel, Gulde, Kübler – Höfler, Eggestein, Günter (C), Doan – Höler, Röhl, Gregoritsch

RB Leipzig’s Record Against Freiburg

Direct Competition

RBL have won their last five competitive games against SCF
11 wins, 4 draws, 4 defeats – 44:22 on aggregate
6 home wins, 4 away wins + a cup win in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium
Top goalscorer: Timo Werner (7 goals)
Biggest win: 5:1 on May 2, 2023 (Goals: 2x Szoboszlai, Olmo, Henrichs, Nkunku)

Baumgartner paves the way

First leg Highlights

How to watch SC Freiburg vs. RB Leipzig?

The game will be broadcast live on Sky from 3.30pm on Saturday in Germany. To view, you will need a Sky subscription. You can also follow the game free of charge on our RBL app – including live audio broadcast on Bullenfunk. And of course we are also live on our social media channels Twitter , Facebook and Instagram as well as on our WhatsApp channel . There you will receive full information and exclusive content about the match.