The record of recent encounters favours Bayer 04: The Werkself have beaten SC Freiburg in the last three meetings. SCF only have a longer run of defeats in the Bundesliga against Borussia Dortmund (seven).
SC Freiburg are having their fourth best season with 51 points after 31 Bundesliga fixtures. The club are in the top four for the last three matchdays for the second time. Interesting however: SCF are the first team in the top four since Hertha Berlin (in 1999/00) to have a negative goal difference (-3) at this stage of the campaign.
SC Freiburg fans have been on an emotional roller coaster several times this season. SCF were third in the table on matchday seven after five wins but slipped down to ninth place just before Christmas after the 5-1 defeat away to the Werkself. And after three more defeats in succession at the start of year, Julian Schussler's team appeared to be mired in a relegation battle. But the fifth-worst defence in the Bundesliga up to that point was suddenly as safe as the Bank of England after the next six games. SCF are now back in fourth place – the dream of the first Champions League qualification in the club's history is alive and kicking. Further information on SC Freiburg can be found in our lowdown on the next opponents.
2,400 fans will be supporting the Werkself at the away game in Freiburg. As usual, the Bayer 04 Fan Liaison team have compiled the necessary relevant info. Click HERE for the fan information.
The German Football Association (DFB) has appointed Daniel Siebert as the referee for today's game. The 40-year-old has previously been in charge of 28 matches involving the Werkself (11 wins, nine defeats, eight draws). Siebert's assistants today are Jan Seidel and Rafael Foltyn with Mike Pickel in action as the VAR.
The match will be broadcast live on DAZN. As ever, supporters unable to be at the match can follow the game on Werkself Radio. The audio broadcast starts 30 minutes before kick-off with commentary provided by Niko Hartmann. In addition, the live text update service will keep you up-to-date. Both Werkself Radio and the live text update service are available at bayer04.de and on the Bayer 04 app.
The team departs for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Monday for the Bayer 04 Brazil Tour 2025 from July 14-24. The preseason journey marks a change from recent training camps in the Austrian Alps and Black Forest and we caught up with CEO Fernando Carro to ask him about this summer's visit to Brazil.
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Malik Tillman and the USA could not quite achieve the hoped-for big win in their own country. Last Monday’s final in the CONCACAF Gold Cup in Houston ended up in a 2-1 defeat for the hosts against Mexico. But the Bayer 04 new signing can be very happy with the course of the tournament and his own performances. Tillman was in the starting line-up for all six games. That concluded an impressive season for him after winning the Eredivisie title in the Netherlands with PSV Eindhoven. Bayer04.de profiles the 23-year-old new signing.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have signed the USA international Malik Tillman. The 23-year-old attacking midfielder joins the Werkself from Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven. Tillman, with German roots and born in Nuremberg, has a contract at Leverkusen to 30 June 2030. He scored 16 goals and provided five assists in 34 games for PSV last season. Three of those goals and two assists were in six matches in the UEFA Champions League.
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The second friendly and the first goal for the Bayer 04 Women: The Werkself just missed out on their first win in the preseason away to top-flight Dutch side PEC Zwolle. The team led by coach Roberto Pätzold drew 1-1 on Friday afternoon in Wezep. As with the friendly against TSG Hoffenheim (0-2) a number of first-team players were absent. The coach once again shared out time on the pitch for the 20-player squad. The goal of the match was scored by summer signing Vanessa Fudalla (67').
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