“We’re still unbeaten.” That was the shared conclusion from both players and head coach Julian Schuster following the goalless Europa League draw away to Viktoria Plzeň. Freiburg therefore head into the weekend with a slight edge over their next opponents – Mainz were beaten 1-0 in their Conference League fixture on Thursday night, their first loss in Europe this season. Sporting director Niko Bungert described it as “a night to forget” after an unfortunate evening that saw the team concede late, have a goal disallowed and lose goalkeeper Robin Zentner to injury.

Until that defeat, both clubs had been performing well on the European stage. Domestically, however, Mainz have struggled to find their rhythm. Bo Henriksen’s side have just one win and three draws from their first 11 Bundesliga matches, leaving them 17th in the table. Defender Silvan Widmer remains defiant: “It’s important that we show unity in this situation. We’ve been through phases like this before and come out stronger. We’ll do the same this time and look to lay the foundations for it against Freiburg on Sunday.” It will be Mainz’s fifth attempt to win at the Europa-Park Stadion – their previous four visits have ended in three draws and one defeat.

“Climb the table”

Freiburg, meanwhile, can approach Sunday’s game in better spirits. Still unbeaten in Europe and buoyed by a recent home win against FC St. Pauli, the team will look to extend their strong run in front of their own fans. “We want to pick up points in the league again, like we did before the Munich game, and keep climbing the table step by step,” said Matthias Ginter.

Sunday’s meeting with Mainz marks the start of a hectic festive schedule for SC, with six matches to play before Christmas. After the Bundesliga clash with the 05ers, who are “never easy to play against, no matter their situation,” as Ginter noted, Freiburg face a DFB-Pokal home tie against Darmstadt 98, then travel to Heidenheim in the league before hosting Salzburg in the Europa League. The final two league fixtures of 2025 will be against Borussia Dortmund and VfL Wolfsburg. “The last two or three weeks before the break are going to be intense,” added Ginter. “Hopefully we can go into the new year with a good feeling.”

With the packed calendar ahead, managing the workload of the players will again be a key topic. “By now we have a good routine for how to handle these midweek fixtures – including what it means when you’re getting home late at night,” Schuster explained. “We always try to adjust things individually to make sure each player gets the right balance in their workload.”

The squad for Sunday has not yet been finalised. Jordy Makengo, Max Rosenfelder and Eren Dinkci were all sidelined against Plzeň but could return to contention. “We’ll make a final decision on Saturday about who’s available to face Mainz,” said Schuster.

Photo: SC Freiburg