SCF have had a strong run of results against Hoffenheim in the recent past. Freiburg are unbeaten in eight matches against Saturday’s hosts, and their last defeat in Sinsheim was back in September 2018. Then head coach Christian Streich missed that match with a herniated disc.

Julian Schuster will likewise not be on the touchline against Hoffenheim, as he is suspended after receiving his fourth yellow card of the campaign. Lars Voßler will take Schuster’s place on Saturday. Johan Manzambi will also be unable to feature at the PreZero Arena, as the DFB have handed him a three-game ban in the Bundesliga after his red card against SV Werder Bremen.

Other than Manzambi, the same players are available for selection as for the DFB-Pokal game away at Hertha BSC last time out. At the press conference on Friday, Schuster gave an update on the condition of Lukas Kübler and Philipp Lienhart, both of whom will miss the match in Sinsheim: “Both are working individually. Philipp has been making positive strides recently, and it’s a similar story with Kübi. He was ill for a few days, so his recovery stalled a little bit, but they’re both fully on track.”

SC are ten matches ahead of their opponents

SCF’s meeting with their fellow Baden-based side is the away side’s 34th match of the season, while it is only TSG Hoffenheim’s 24th fixture. Christian Ilzer’s side were eliminated by FC St. Pauli in the second round of the DFB-Pokal, meaning that they have had more time between matches and will be better-rested going into the match. “If we’d had a normal week of training, we would have trained very intensively on Tuesday and Wednesday. Instead, we’ve just had this one intensive workout and recovered on Wednesday,” said Schuster. “Obviously, one or two players completely drained their energy, and that’s how it should be. We’ve still had enough time to be ready to play again tomorrow, though.”

Schuster, whose team will be cheered on by 2,500 away fans, is expecting a hard-fought battle against a versatile side. “On one hand, they have the ability to play good passing football, but, on the other, they also play effective long balls,” stated the SC head coach. The 40-year-old is not thinking about Freiburg’s strong record against their next opponents. Only one statistic is making him particularly happy ahead of the match: “It’s obviously a good thing that we won’t spend too much time travelling to the game.”

Photo: Achim Keller