When the fixtures were announced prior to the season, few would have expected that Freiburg against Union on the final matchday of the year would be a battle of third versus second. “It’s a real highlight – it’s not 17th against 18th,” commented head coach Christian Streich.

The two sides have faced each other seven times in recent seasons, with six of these meetings taking place in the Bundesliga and one in the second round of the DFB-Pokal. SC have won just one of these matches, at 3-1 home on 7th March 2020 (also D2).

Union have tended to play with a back-three or back-five this season. The Köpenick side look to counter quickly, while they also aren’t afraid to get stuck in and make tackles in defence. Head coach Urs Fischer leads a strong and tactically disciplined team, one with plenty of individual talent in it as well. Sheraldo Becker has scored seven goals and set up a further three, with former Freiburg man Janik Haberer getting on the scoresheet three times this term as well.

Streich not settled on a formation yet

Streich kept his cards close to his chest when asked about how his side will line up against the Berliners this weekend. “We will decide how we want to play, but are also able to make changes. We have an idea of how Union will play. Of course there’s always slight nuances but they can rely on everyone know what they are meant to do, which allows them to pose a threat,” he said.

A win on Sunday night would see SC move up into second place, ensuring they would remain in a Champions League spot at least until the league resumes on 20th January 2023. As things stand, four members of the team are off to the World Cup, with a fifth potentially set to be added on Monday in Daniel-Kofi Kyereh (Ghana). Ritsu Doan (Japan), Wooyeong Jeong (South Korea), Christian Günter and Matthias Ginter (both Germany) have all been called up by their national sides. Goalkeeper Mark Flekken was surprisingly left out of the Netherlands squad.

Günter’s special journey

When asked about the call-ups, Streich commented “Matthias Ginter has been an important factor in our success this season, and is a great presence for us.” Speaking about Günter, he mentioned the special journey the left-back has taken in order to earn his first caps for the side. “He wasn’t a regular starter during his second season with the U17s,” Streich said. “The effort both he and Gintes have put in is fantastic. I’m very happy for both of them, while also feeling bad for Mark that he wasn’t included.”

Flekken can look forward to continuing to play a big part in Freiburg’s successful campaign when the league resumes. The team will return to training on 5th December, but have been given time off for the Christmas holidays and New Year’s. “I’m really looking forward to having some time off, but then I’m also looking forward to picking up training again,” Streich said. Before the team head off on a well-deserved holiday, they will have a chance to end the year with another strong result at home. A sold-out crowd of 34,700 fans is expected at the Europa-Park Stadion this Sunday, in order to bring the year to a triumphant end.

Photo: Achim Keller