Things are looking good for SCF as they head into the first of the three remaining Europa League league phase games. They currently sit in fourth place in the table on 11 points and are one of the four remaining unbeaten teams.

A win against the Austrian side would be a great boost for Freiburg, who look to stay inside the top eight in the table in order to qualify automatically for the knockout phase of the competition and avoid the play-offs between the teams ranked ninth to 24th. Last year’s campaign saw SCF finish the league phase on 14 points with a +6 goal difference, meaning they qualified automatically for the round of 16. “We need to put ourselves in a good position. We want to do everything we can, not just to get into the next round, but to do it via qualifying in the top eight,” said head coach Julian Schuster in his pre-match press conference.

Before beginning their preparations for Salzburg, SCF had to process what was a disappointing defeat to Heidenheim at the weekend. Individual errors and slip-ups in crucial moments led to Schuster’s side leaving the pitch empty-handed. “It’s crucial that we learn from the mistakes we made. It’s important that we talk about those costly moments, such as the one that led to them taking the lead,” said Schuster.

SCF’s coach isn’t worried about the energy levels of his team, despite such a busy schedule recently: “Everyone says the same thing when I ask them how they’re feeling:  ‘I’m doing great and I’m fully recovered.’ I’ve just stopped asking them now. All the lads are enjoying things and they all just want to play.”

That also applies to Junior Adamu, who hopes for a starting spot up front against his former club, although Lucas Höler and Igor Matanovic are also vying for the same thing. “I try and use every training session to improve. That’s the culture we’ve built here though – everyone pushes each other. If I don’t start the match tomorrow, then I’ll look to help the team from the bench.”

There is still a lot of excitement around the club about participating in a European competition, despite Schuster’s warning of a “tough evening” against the Austrian league leaders. “It’s never a given that you’ll be able to play in Europe. We’re proud to represent the Bundesliga on the European stage and hope we’ll be able to carry on our good form into the new year,” said SCF’s head coach.

Philipp Lienhart should hopefully be able to make his mark on the game. The centre-half is back in full training after being substituted at half time in the Heidenheim game. The same cannot be said for Max Rosenfelder, as a muscle strain is set to keep him sidelined until the winter break.

Photo: Achim Keller