Two Bundesliga teams battling to secure a top-six finish and European qualification for next season lock horns at the Europa-Park Stadion on Saturday as Freiburg play host to Hoffenheim.
Just one point and one place separates these two teams in the table at the halfway stage, with seventh-placed Freiburg sitting marginally ahead of Hoffenheim in eighth spot.
Match preview
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After ending 2023 with a 3-2 defeat at Heidenheim, Freiburg were left frustrated in their first fixture of the New Year as they were forced to play out a goalless draw at home to relegation-threatened Union Berlin.
The Breisgau-Brasilianer had all the better chances but they were unable to breach a resilient Union backline, meaning that they remain seventh in the Bundesliga table at the halfway stage, just two points behind Eintracht Frankfurt in sixth and eight points adrift of RB Leipzig in fourth spot.
Despite the draw with Union Berlin, Christian Streich's side have turned the Europa-Park Stadion into somewhat of a fortress, as they have only lost three of their last 24 Bundesliga matches on home soil since the start of last season – losing to Bayern Munich, Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund during this run.
Freiburg's recent record against Hoffenheim also bodes well ahead of Saturday's contest as they have won six of their last nine top-flight meetings, including a 2-1 away victory on the opening weekend of the season back in August last year.
Streich will be keen to see his Freiburg side return to winning ways this weekend before they embark on a challenging run of fixtures against Stuttgart and Dortmund in the Bundesliga, as well as a Europa League knockout tie with Lens next month.
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Despite winning just one of their last eight Bundesliga games and accumulating only six points since the start of November, Hoffenheim remain in the European mix at the halfway stage of the season.
Pellegrino Matarazzo's men suffered their latest setback at the hands of reigning champions Bayern Munich, who ran away as comfortable 3-0 winners at the Allianz Arena last Friday on a night the late German icon Franz Beckenbauer was celebrated.
Jamal Musiala netted his second goal of the match shortly before the dismissal of Grischa Promel, which put Bayern into the ascendancy heading into the final 20 minutes. Harry Kane eventually put the game to bed in the 90th minute to condemn Hoffenheim to their seventh league loss of the season.
Die Kraichgauer travel to Freiburg on Saturday boasting the third-best away record in the Bundesliga this season, having picked up 16 points from nine games on the road. However, they are without a victory in their last four away from home, conceding 10 goals in the process.
Hoffenheim have not beaten Freiburg in each of their last five meetings in all competitions since claiming a 2-1 away victory in December 2021, but success on Saturday would see them leapfrog their opponents and could propel Matarazzo's side into the top six if other results go their way.
Team News
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Freiburg trio Christian Gunter (broken arm), Daniel-Kofi Kyereh (knee) and Kenneth Schmidt (abdominal) all remain sidelined with injuries, while key attacker Ritsu Doan is away with Japan at the Asian Cup.
Nicolas Hofler is available to return after serving a one-match suspension and he is expected to link arms with Maximilian Eggestein in centre-midfield, meaning that Merlin Rohl should drop down to the substitutes' bench.
Lucas Holer recovered from illness to feature as a late substitute in the draw with Union Berlin, and the striker – who has scored a team-high five goals this season – will be pushing to start up front either alongside or at the expense of Michael Gregoritsch.
As for Hoffenheim, Mergim Berisha and Marco John are set to miss the rest of the season with knee injuries, while Dennis Geiger and Bambase Conte are both nursing groin problems and are unlikely to feature this weekend.
Diadie Samassekou is away with Mali on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations, while the visitors will also have to cope without Promel following his dismissal against Bayern; Umut Tohumcu is the most likely candidate to start in the absence of Promel, joining Anton Stach and Marius Bulter in midfield.
Matarazzo is not expected to make too many other changes, if any, to his first XI, so Andrej Kramaric, Wout Weghorst and Maximilian Beier are all set to start again in the final third.
Freiburg possible starting lineup:
Atubolu; Sildillia, Ginter, Gulde, Makengo; Eggestein, Hofler; Sallai, Rohl, Grifo; Holer
Hoffenheim possible starting lineup:
Baumann; Kabak, Grillitsch, Nsoki; Kaderabek, Tohumcu, Stach, Bulter; Kramaric; Weghorst, Beier
We say: Freiburg 2-1 Hoffenheim
A closely-fought contest between two evenly-matched teams vying for European qualification could be on the cards this weekend, but Freiburg will boast the psychological edge considering their recent record in this fixture.
Hoffenheim certainly have the firepower to cause problems in the final third, but we believe that Freiburg will find a way to come out on top in front of their own supporters to complete the double over their Sinsheim-based counterparts.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Oliver Thomas
