The international break is behind us, and all the SCF players who represented their national teams have returned safe and healthy. This includes the Netherlands’ Mark Flekken, who played in goal for his homeland against Germany in midweek. His German counterpart in that game was Manuel Neuer – interestingly, the two goalkeepers will face off in their next match as FC Bayern make the trip to Freiburg. The most recent changes to Covid-19 regulations means that the Europa-Park Stadion is able to host its full capacity; SCF’s new stadium will be sold out for the first time ever. “We’re so excited for this, after such a long time. It’s brilliant to see the fans in the stands, rather than just empty seats and terraces. It’s a beautiful thing for everyone to get involved in the game, in one way or another,” said Christian Streich ahead of the clash with FC Bayern, a game which his side has prepared well for, especially theoretically.

Lots of theories and different approaches

Streich and his coaching staff did not have many players at the training ground as preparations to face the league leaders got underway, as nearly all the internationals in the squad returned to Freiburg from Wednesday. “I don’t like it when there are so many players out of training. It’s not a good way to prepare for any game, let alone for one against FC Bayern. It makes preparations all the more difficult, but that’s the case for many others too,” explained Streich. Alongside the players who were off representing their national sides, there were several returnees, both from Covid-19 and injuries: Philipp Lienhart, Wooyeong Jeong and Lukas Kübler all returned and are available to play. “We’re weighing up our options for Saturday. We need to go by our feeling a lot and find out who’s the best fit. You need a lot of physical and mental power against Bayern, that’s for sure,” Streich said. The only certainties are that Kevin Schade (abdominal muscle issues) and Yannik Keitel (broken toe) will miss out.

Streich and the coaching staff have watched several of Bayern’s matches in recent weeks and one thing became clear to them: there is not one set approach to succeed against the record champions, but rather many different approaches. The system the team will use on Saturday has not yet been decided though. “Because we’ve had so many players away, we couldn’t get the tactical formation sorted, but we trust that the lads will get our idea across at the weekend.”

Showing the best the team can do

Something that is already clear is the huge motivation that the players will take into the clash against FC Bayern: “We want to stand up to Bayern, go toe-to-toe with them and not shrink in the face of the challenge,” emphasised Streich. The keys to success will be calmness on the ball and not be overawed by a “Bayern shirt running towards you,” he added. A lot of focus will also need to be on the players’ own skills and their approach to the game. “You need to think about what you’re good at and be adaptable,” SCF’s head coach said, making it clear that it will also be important to accept that the opponents may dominate possession at stages, so that “we can go about things with high energy at the right moment.”

Photo: Achim Keller