The team currently find themselves in the midst of a busy few weeks, with the clash against the Foals taking place just three days after their 1-1 draw against Bologna in the Europa League. Following the match, the league will head into the second international break of the season.

"We will need to recover well in order to bring the same intensity that's defined us over the last few games to the pitch in Mönchengladbach," said head coach Julian Schuster. The physical nature of their mid-week clash with Bologna means that a couple of players are currently carrying knocks, but none are expected to miss Sunday's match as a result. Even Lukas Kübler, who did not play in Bologna, could be an option to make the squad this weekend.  

Schuster did not reveal any details of what his starting line-up could look like, but it's fair to assume that the coach will rotate his squad slightly. "We'll have to see in what condition everyone is and what our approach will be," he said. "There's always a consideration to be made between what we want to accomplish in attack and in defence. We can play around with it a little bit and chose our squad based on that."

Despite the fact that their upcoming opponents lost last weekend and currently have an interim head coach in charge, it doesn't make Schuster's job any easier. "They are tricky to evaluate," said Schuster. "It's never good when an opponent has lost the previous game. We saw how it was for us a few weeks ago, and how a defeat can also offer an opportunity to increase the focus and intensity in training the following week."

The head coach is remaining focused on his own squad and what they can achieve. SC will look to extend their unbeaten run of five matches in all competitions by putting in another strong team performance. "We want to create chances and pose a threat by maintaining possession," he explained. "We will need to remain disciplined and patient in order to generate those moments and take advantage. That's what we will prepare our team for."

Photo: SC Freiburg