There were several reasons why the late but deserved winning goal for SC Freiburg away against Borussia Mönchengladbach last weekend was a special one. It not only saw SC take all three points against a fellow side fighting for European football, but also helped the club get back on track after back-to-back defeats at home. Additionally, the fact that 19-year-old academy product Johan Manzambi got the goal was even more memorable.

“We could see that the lads still had enough in the tank to get the goal late on,” said Julian Schuster at the pre-match press conference before Saturday’s home fixture against TSG Hoffenheim. In the recent home defeats against Union Berlin and BVB, it wasn’t SC’s lack of effort that cost them, but rather a lack of a cutting edge in the final third. “The lads are working hard and training at a high intensity. We need them to carry that into Saturday’s game,” demanded Freiburg’s head coach.

Saturday’s opponents were also victorious last weekend, defeating 1. FSV Mainz 05 2-0 thanks to a brace from club legend Andrej Kramaric, his 124th and 125th Bundesliga goals for the club. The win all but confirmed TSG’s place in the league next season. One thing SC will be wary of is Hoffenheim’s flexibility. “Dealing with their versatility is going to be one of the biggest challenges we face,” stated Schuster, who feels communication on the pitch will be key to a solid performance. 

Schuster and his coaching team will have several difficult decisions to make regarding their starting line-up. Max Rosenfelder did a fine job as he deputised for the suspended Matthias Ginter in Mönchengladbach and is again an option for Saturday. While attacker Junior Adamu is banned after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season last time out, Merlin Röhl is set to return to the squad.

Other options up front are Michael Gregoritsch, Niklas Beste and match-winner Manzambi. “We’ve got a lot of calls to make and none of them are easy ones. However, this is the kind of situation we’re happy to be in with five matchdays to go. We’ve got a number of players who can compensate for Junior’s absence,” explained the 40-year-old.

As well as the long-term injury concerns, Eren Dinkci and Noah Atubolu will not feature on Saturday. The pair have not yet returned to team training. The home end at the Europa-Park Stadion is once again sold out.

Photo: SC Freiburg