SC Freiburg will hope they can retain their UEFA Europa Conference League spot when they host RB Leipzig in their final game of the Bundesliga season.
RB Leipzig are certain to finish third on the Bundesliga table, and they do not have anything to play for when they hit the road to face SC Freiburg at the Europa-Park-Stadion. But there is a lot at stake for the home team, who would want to ensure they secure European football for next season.
Freiburg are seventh on the table with 44 points in their 33 outings. Having failed to win any of their last three games, they are only a point above Eintracht Frankfurt and FC Augsburg. Both clubs will push hard for the Conference League spot on the final matchday; as a result, Freiburg cannot afford to drop points here.
While they can secure Champions League football by winning the Europa League, the home team would still want to secure European football heading into the final against Aston Villa. The Breisgau-Brasilianer are heading into this fixture on the back of a disappointing 3-2 defeat at the hands of Hamburg, and they will have to do much better to stand a chance against Leipzig.
Meanwhile, the visitors are third with 65 points in their 33 outings. Leipzig have already secured Champions League football for next season, and they are four points clear of fourth-placed VfB Stuttgart. While Ole Werner’s men have nothing at stake, they would still want to finish the season on a high note with a win.
After a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Bayer Leverkusen, Leipzig returned to winning ways against St. Pauli last time out. Now, they will want to secure all three points in the final game of the season. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
SC Freiburg
The home team will be without the services of Yuito Suzuki (collarbone fracture), Max Rosenfelder (hamstring), Patrick Osterhage (knee), and Daniel-Kofi Kyereh (unspecified) this weekend.
Freiburg will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in this all-important fixture, with Noah Atubolu starting in goal. Lukas Kubler and Philipp Treu will be the full-backs, while Matthias Ginter will pair up with Bruno Ogbus in the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Maximilian Eggestein and Johan Manzambi will form the double pivot in the centre of the pitch. The duo will look to shield the backline and ensure they control the tempo of the game.
Finally, Niklas Beste and Vincenzo Grifo will feature on the flanks, providing width to their attacks, while Lucas Holer will take up the number ten role behind Igor Matanovic, who will lead the line for SC Freiburg against RB Leipzig on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Atubolu; Kubler, Ginter, Ogbus, Treu; Eggestein, Manzambi; Beste, Holer, Grifo; Matanovic
RB Leipzig
RB Leipzig remain without the services of Ayodele Thomas (muscle), Leopold Zingerle (wrist), Ezechiel Banzuzi (knee), and Viggo Gebel (knee) this weekend. While there is nothing at stake, Ole Werner could still start with the majority of his regulars.
He will stick to the 4-3-3 formation, where Maarten Vandevoordt will take charge in goal. David Raum and Riddle Baku are expected to be the full-backs, while Willi Orban could start alongside Castello Lukeba in the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, 20-year-old Assan Ouedraogo is likely to start alongside Xaver Schlager and Christoph Baumgartner in the centre of the park. They are unlikely to have too much of posessions as Freiburg are expected to go all out for the win.
Yan Diomande and Brajan Gruda will feature on the flanks, providing width to their attacks. Finally, Romulo is expected to spearhead the RB Leipzig attack against SC Freiburg this weekend.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Vandevoort; Baku, Orban, Lukeba, Raum; Schlager, Ouedraogo, Baumgartner; Gruda, Romulo, Diomande
Key Stats
- SC Freiburg have not kept a single clean sheet in their last eight matches.
- RB Leipzig have not lost in any of their last five visits to Europa-Park-Stadion.
- RB Leipzig have won seven out of their last nine league games.
- In the last 14 meetings between the two teams, Freiburg haven’t come out on top even once.
- RB Leipzig secured a comfortable 2-0 win in the reverse fixture back in January.
Player to Watch
Yan Diomande
Diomande stands out as the player to watch out for, thanks to his explosive debut campaign, where the 19-year-old Ivorian winger has dazzled with 13 goals and 9 assists across 35 games. Attracting interest from top clubs, the teenager brings qualities that could punish SC Freiburg’s leaky defence, which has not kept a clean sheet in eight matches.
After going goalless in his last two outings, he will be hungry to exploit the home side’s desperate push forward, providing width on the flank while linking lethally with Romulo up top, potentially deciding the game with a goal or assist in Leipzig’s counter-attacking threat.
Prediction
SC Freiburg 1-2 RB Leipzig
Despite Freiburg’s urgent need for points to lock in their Conference League spot, their winless run and historical struggles against Leipzig (failing to win any of the last 14 meetings) could prove costly.
Leipzig’s solid away form at Europa-Park-Stadion (unbeaten in five visits) and recent league dominance (seven wins in nine) give them the edge on the break. The visitors’ attacking flair should unlock Freiburg’s backline, helping them snatch a narrow victory even without much at stake. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for the away team.
