Over the past fortnight, SC Freiburg have had a congested fixture list to contend with. The busy schedule began with a 3-0 victory at home to Hertha Berlin, followed by a dramatic 2-1 victory against VfL Bochum in the DFB-Pokal, then a 1-1 draw away at RB Leipzig.

“In the second half against Leipzig we were good without the ball, but not so good when we were in possession.  We just ran out of steam, but that is understandable after our tough game in Bochum. But if we had made better use of the spaces that opened up then we would probably have won the game, so in that respect I am little bit annoyed that we only got a point,” said Christian Streich, looking back on the last weekend’s match in Saxony.

The club also announced on Tuesday that it had extended the contracts of the coaching staff, including: Christian Streich, Lars Voßler, Florian Bruns and Daniel Wolf. “It is great that we can continue working together. Michael Müller is a new addition to the team and he has worked in our academy for many years,” said Streich. He continued: “It didn’t take me long to make my decision because I feel so good here. There are few people who have as nice a place to work as I do.”

There are many reasons why the future is bright at Achim-Stocker-Straße. However, attention now turns to Saturday’s tough test against a Wolfsburg side that has grown stronger in recent weeks. Wolfsburg are fifth in the form table from the last five matches, with Freiburg in seventh. “They have picked up four points in the last two games. Xaver Schlager, a key player they have had to do without for the last few months, is back in the team and they also have Max Kruse at their disposal again. It is difficult to guess where Wolfsburg stand. They have top quality players,” said Streich of Kohfeldt's side. 

Just as in the last home game against Hertha BSC, 25,000 fans will be allowed to attend on Saturday. On Thursday afternoon, there were still a few tickets available on general sale. On the day, there will be several activities taking place to support Ukraine and to aid Freiburg’s twin-city, Lviv, including a pfand- beaker collection.

In terms of personnel, there are still some question marks. During the week there were a number of positive, albeit inconclusive coronavirus test results. It is also unclear whether Nico Schlotterbeck can feature, after he went off against RB Leipzig. Yannik Keitel is still out of action.

Photo: Fabian Bimmer