The final international break of 2025/26 offered the Freiburg coaches and those players not called away on international duty a welcome opportunity to recharge and reinvigorate themselves for a schedule packed to the brim with high-stakes ties over the next few weeks. “We had that extra bit of time for training and were able to focus on certain elements of our play as a result. That was really helpful for us, as we weren’t only able to discuss a few ideas in theory, but rather properly put our ideas into action,” said Schuster when asked about what the team had focused on in the two-week break.

With seven games awaiting the side over the next 22 days, SC are looking at a very busy time indeed, but one that undoubtedly promises reams of enthralling football. The marathon of fixtures begins with a showdown against none other than the German record champions: FC Bayern München are in town, and the side are currently enjoying a year that has seen them pull completely clear of even their closest chasing-pack contenders. FCB sit nine points clear of second-place Borussia Dortmund, and a whole 33 ahead of SC Freiburg.

There is one thing that unites Schuster’s side with the table-toppers, though, and something only they can claim to share: both clubs are still fighting on three fronts at this stage of the season. “We’re very proud of this fact,” said the head coach. “We’re looking forward to this exciting challenge. Ideally, this would remain the case for the last seven weeks of the season. Everyone has to be focused on that, and hopefully it can give us that extra push. We want to use that extra energy to help one another kick on over the coming weeks.”

Ahead of what will surely be a challenging home game, Freiburg’s form heading into the break will at least provide a degree of optimism. SC blew away KRC Genk 5-1 to make it into the first Europa League quarter final in the club’s history, before managing to get the better of FC St. Pauli in a tricky away game just a few days later.

Another reason to be cheerful is the latest update on Schuster’s squad: all six SC stars called away on international duty have returned to Breisgau injury-free. Max Rosenfelder is the sole name unable to feature for Freiburg on Saturday afternoon.

That the team is capable of matching up to FC Bayern was also evident in the first 45 minutes of the reverse fixture, in which SC led 2-0 after just 18 minutes, albeit eventually suffering a 6-2 defeat. “It was an important experience which taught us that, at certain moments, they actually offer you the chance to get at them,” recalled Schuster. “On Saturday, there will also be phases where we’ll have to fight to withstand them. But the key is to move past those moments and be fully ready for the next phase of play. We mustn’t lose focus or intensity, remaining highly alert throughout the whole game. That will be crucial, and that’s what we’ll be preparing for.”

Photo: SC Freiburg