Saturday’s 839-kilometre journey will be SC’s longest away trip of the season. Despite that though, 1,700 Freiburg fans will be making the long trip up north and the away end is already sold out. SC go into the clash in fourth place and know that victory against the team currently sat second bottom would ensure European qualification. Kiel are still fighting for their lives in their maiden Bundesliga campaign, and their hopes of survival were increased after last weekend’s 3-1 victory at FC Augsburg left them just one point behind 1. FC Heidenheim and the relegation play-off. 

Marcel Rapp’s team are starting to really find some form as the season draws to a close: “We are really excited and confident for this game,” said the KSV coach, who has overseen his club’s first ever back-to-back top-flight wins over the last two weeks. “We have played some really good football recently. Winning two games in a row has naturally given us a real boost,” added goalkeeper Thomas Dähne after success in Augsburg. Freiburg boss Julian Schuster singled out two characteristics Kiel possess when discussing Saturday’s opponents: belief and bravery. “Kiel can play at a really high intensity. They are also capable of getting men behind the ball, even when you have already got in between the lines. It’s tough to face. They believe in themselves and play with confidence, which is very unusual for a team in their position.”

The two clubs have met just once so far in the Bundesliga: SC won 3-2 at home back in January. However, after racing into a 3-0 lead, Freiburg were pegged back late on by the promoted side. Saturday’s fixture is the first league meeting in Kiel, though the sides did battle there in the 2018/19 DFB-Pokal. The ‘Storks’ were victorious on that occasion, winning 2-1 in the second round.

Even though that defeat back then isn’t on many people’s minds these days, the Freiburg players and fans will be desperate to get all three points on their return to Kiel. Victory would not only confirm SC’s place in Europe next season but also see them set new a club record – Freiburg have never previously won three consecutive Bundesliga away games before. Overall in 2025, Schuster’s team have enjoyed playing on their travels, remaining unbeaten away from home since mid-January. “The team know what they are capable of. They have shown that impressively in recent weeks and in our last game,” praised the SC coach. 

Atubolu to replace Müller

Given how good Kiel have been in recent weeks, Schuster and his coaching team know the final away game of the season will be a tricky one. “We are expecting a difficult match, but we know we can win it if we invest as much as we have in recent games. Our commitment must be the same in every match. The lads have taken their game to another level in recent weeks and we just want to continue to build on that,” said Schuster.

There will at least be one change to the team that faced Bayer 04 Leverkusen last week, which Schuster described as “the best match of the season so far.” Noah Atubolu is set to return in goal. “Florian Müller did a really good job of deputising for him. However, Atu is our number 1 and will always play when he is fit. That’s now the case again and that’s why he’ll play in Kiel,” confirmed Schuster. Lucas Höler, who missed the draw with the Werkself due a knock, is also an option for the starting XI. Ritsu Doan was only able to train individually on Thursday after suffering a knock against Leverkusen. “He will be fit for Saturday,” stated Schuster, who is only going to be without long-term injury concerns Bruno Ogbus and Daniel-Kofi Kyereh this weekend.

Photo: SC Freiburg