Our next opponents: Freiburg and the many parallels with the Werkself

Position

In the picturesque Breisgau, this season is proceeding as is so often the case at SC Freiburg: quietly. The team stumbled at the start of the season but then came up trumps at the turn of the year with a run of five wins in succession. At the moment, the euphoria – also due to several very difficult games – has subsided a little with no goals scored in the last two games against Werder Bremen (0-0) and Union Berlin (0-1). "We didn't lose undeservedly," coach Christian Streich had to admit last weekend after the home defeat against Union in one of the weaker performances by Freiburg this season. However: There is no sign of disquiet or dissatisfaction at the club. SCF are currently far away from any worries of relegation as they are ninth in the table and still have the chance of qualifying for Europe. If that should happen then the team from the Breisgau could possibly play their European games at their new stadium. After delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the work is now completed but there is no set date for the move to the new ground as yet.

Personnel

Streich almost has a full squad to choose from at the moment. Only the goalkeeper Mark Flekken (elbow injury) and offensive player Chang-hoon Kwon (fibula injury) are currently unavailable. And, given the resulting selection quandary, it will be interesting to see which line-up Streich goes for at the BayArena – particularly as he identified areas that needing improvement after the defeat against Union.

That means Streich – as so often in recent weeks – could again change the basic formation: away from 4-4-2 to 3-6-1, which SCF used during their impressive phase at the turn of the year. But regardless of whether it's a back three or a back four: There is competition for places in central defence with the return of the recently injured Keven Schlotterbeck giving Freiburg an option of four central defenders with only the Austrian Philipp Lienhart a regular starter. Streich will probably allocate the other positions according to tactical considerations. After the Union game, the coach complained about build-up play down the middle.

There could be changes in other positions as the only current regular starters, in addition to Lienhart, are goalkeeper Florian Müller, captain Christian Günter, the midfield axis of Nicolas Höfler and Baptiste Santamaria plus top scorer Vincenzo Grifo. Streich's line-up for Sunday could well contain some surprises.

Performers

The meeting at the BayArena on Sunday is a clash of two teams with similar strengths. For example, the two teams have the best conversion rate with clear-cut chances (both 58%) in the Bundesliga and only VfB Stuttgart (six) have scored more goals from counter-attacks than the Werkself and SC Freiburg (both four). In addition, these two sides are the most dangerous teams from corners. Freiburg have already netted six times from corners, which means that every fourteenth has led to a goal. In both categories the team from the Breisgau are only beaten by the Werkself (nine goals; every 13th corner). Leverkusen and Freiburg have also benefited in defence from aerial superiority with each side only conceding three-headed goals – the lowest number in the league. With so many parallels, the crucial question could be: Who will be able to make better use of their strengths on the pitch?

Problems

The normally so reliable attack has stumbled a little recently. Freiburg have failed to score in three of their last four games with no goals netted in the last two encounters – very unusual for SC under Streich. "We weren't good enough in the final third and also not good from set pieces," complained the coach following the game against Union. Striker Nils Petersen, this time not as a substitute, but instead in the starting line-up said: "I've rarely seen at home game of ours where we were so far away from scoring a goal. I had no inkling of being able to score a goal." Striking: Both at Bremen as well as against Union, Freiburg had more possession than the opposition – not normally a characteristic of the team. But SC were not able to do much with it.

prediction

With a 13-point lead over the play-off place, the team from the Breisgau probably do not need to look over their shoulders. The fixture list shows that Freiburg can compete for a European finish. The previous matches in the second half of the season have been challenging with Freiburg not playing any team in the bottom third of the table. But the picture is different in March and April – and if Streich's team can rediscover the form of the first half of the season then SCF could definitely have a say in the allocation of European places.