It was a press conference unlike any other this Wednesday. In the morning before Freiburg’s third Europa League group stage game against FC Nantes, Christian Streich tested positive for COVID-19. His assistants Lars Voßler and Florian Bruns had caught it a little earlier.

Streich, who appeared via screen in the Europa-Park Stadion, did not want to provoke a bad mood ahead of the home game, despite the unpleasant surprise: “We have all spoken and the tactics are clear. The team is in good condition and we have great people within the coaching team.”

Freiburg’s head coach will, of course, be following the game from his “home office” – without wanting to intervene too much: “We have to try and not over do it by being so on top of the game. You see far less on the TV than you do in the stadium.”

Exactly who will take Streich’s place on the sidelines remains unclear. Lars Voßler could potentially make it back in time if he receives the appropriate test results, otherwise Julian Schuster and Patrick Baier are waiting in the wings.

Höfler and co. heading into the game full of confidence

The team has been spared of any positive cases so far, and so, as is convention, one player was able to give thoughts ahead of the game – this was Nicolas Höfler: “We’re definitely heading into the game full of confidence,” said the central midfielder. Freiburg’s last competitive defeat came almost eight weeks ago.

On the European stage, Freiburg are currently top of the Group G with six points from two games: They could extend that gap from second place (currently FC Qarabag) by six points with a win on Thursday and a corresponding defeat for the team from Azerbaijan. Höfler is well aware of the situation: “We have started the season really well and we’ve often kept a clean sheet. We want to bag another three points tomorrow to build on our seriously strong start.”

Stronger after the international break

“Chicco” emphasised that a lot of players had been able to take a deep breath after the exhausting double-game week. The team wants to stick to their intense style of play – “that’s what makes us a strong side,” explained Höfler.

Lucas Höler finally looked stable in his return to training after his broken metatarsal. His head coach was unable to say whether he would be fit enough to play on Thursday, however. “It’s not easy to get up to the intensity we are looking for after just a few training sessions. What’s imperative for us is to let our players get some game time with the second team. It could well be that he is in the squad and then three days later he is playing 80 minutes in the third division.”

Just like his head coach, who has only complained of a head ache and occasional sweats, Höler is chasing a comeback. “I’ve never been to Nantes,” he said. “I definitely want to go there.” On Thursday, SC Freiburg host the French side who currently sit 16th in Ligue 1.