Freiburg will be greeted by a full capacity crowd at the Europa-Park Stadion for the second time this season. After welcoming Champions League side VfB Stuttgart, Bochum are the visitors for matchday three, currently sitting joint-bottom of the table after a tricky start to the season. Patrick Osterhage’s former team have lost their first two league matches under new coach Peter Ziedler, as well as being knocked out of the DFB-Pokal in the first round.

SC head coach Julian Schuster does not view his side as the favourites, however. “Obviously, Bochum have not made a good start. We have discussed them to a great extent over the past week, also with Patrick Osterhage. It is clear to us that we have to be on it from the first whistle in every game. Bochum can be a tough opponent, which we need to find a solution for but I trust that my players will do that.”

Schuster’s words are backed up by recent events, after solutions had to be and were found in the first home match. SC trailed after only a few minutes when hosting Stuttgart, but they were able to turn the game on its head to come away with three points on opening day. “Against Stuttgart, the team showed character and I think we can build on the performance in Munich,” explained Schuster, who was able to take positives from the 2-0 defeat at the Allianz Arena.

Atubolu back for Bochum

The focus of the 39-year-old was on the limited chances afforded to the opposition. “We came good on our target of giving away fewer scoring opportunities,” was the praise from Schuster for his team’s defensive resolve. In SC’s 6-0 friendly victory over FC Basel during the international break, the team concentrated on specific areas of influence: “We focused on making certain runs, passing sequences and finishing.”

Any finishes from the opposition on Saturday will once again need to be good enough to beat Noah Atubolu in goal, as the keeper returns after an appendectomy. Schuster has announced this news ahead of the match, but made sure to mention the work of Florian Müller in Atubolu’s absence. “Flo has done really well in the last three games, but we had already talked about the fact that Atu would be back in once he was fit.” Michael Gregoritsch, Manuel Gulde, Maximilian Philipp and Daniel-Kofi Kyereh will be missing from the Bochum game. Nevertheless, the coaching staff still have plenty at their disposal. “The squad is really tight-knit, which is clear in training. We see competition for places as something really positive,” said Schuster.

Photo: Achim Keller