Overview
Freiburg's hopes of entering the top 6 of the Bundesliga for the fourth time in five seasons are gradually being threatened after a series of unstable performances. Coach Julian Schuster's team has gone through the last 6 matches in the Bundesliga with alternating wins and losses, causing them to drop to sixth place and be 10 points behind Bayer Leverkusen.
Last weekend, Freiburg suffered a disappointing 0-2 defeat at the home of direct competitor Eintracht Frankfurt. In that match, they only had 2 shots on target and almost did not create significant pressure.
However, Freiburg shows a completely different face when playing at the Europa-Park Stadion. They are on a 15-match unbeaten streak at home in all competitions.
Among them, Freiburg has won 12 matches, and the most recent home defeat has taken place since August last year against Augsburg. If they maintain their impressive performance at home, Freiburg still has a chance to maintain their position in the European cup group. However, this also depends a lot on whether they can improve their away record or not.
On the other side of the battle line, Bayer Leverkusen is preparing to enter a challenging March. After this weekend's match, they will face Arsenal in the two knockout rounds of the Champions League, before facing Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga.
Before the dense schedule, Leverkusen is forced to focus on each match. They entered the away match at Freiburg with a fairly positive mentality after the 1-0 victory over Hamburger.
That result helps coach Kasper Hjulmand's team narrow the gap with the top 4 to 3 points. In general, Die Werkself is maintaining quite stable form when they have only lost one of their last 11 matches in all competitions.
If they can win another away win in the Bundesliga, Leverkusen will have more confidence before the important confrontation with Arsenal in the Champions League framework.
Personnel situation
Freiburg is likely to be without defender Max Rosenfelder in the upcoming match. The 23-year-old player continues to be absent due to a thigh injury that has caused him to miss the last 2 matches.
The home team's defense also faces other concerns. Lukas Kubler is still uncertain to play after a hamstring injury, while Philipp Lienhart may need more time to fully recover from abdominal problems.
In the front line, Daniel-Kofi Kyereh is still in the process of recovering his fitness after a long period of rest due to a knee injury. This attacking midfielder has been absent for nearly 3 years and is trying to regain his best physical condition before he can return to the pitch.
Meanwhile, Bayer Leverkusen entered the match with a significantly longer injury list, especially when they are preparing for the tense period in the Bundesliga and Champions League.
Brazilian defender Arthur only played one half in the match against Mainz before having to leave the field due to an ankle injury.
In addition, Loic Bade and Lucas Vazquez are also having physical problems with injuries to their thighs and calves respectively. Goalkeeper Mark Flekken has not yet returned due to a knee injury.
In attack, Nathan Tella is having problems with his foot, Eliesse Ben Seghir has ankle pain, and striker Patrik Schick also leaves open the possibility of playing due to a muscle injury.
Expected lineup:
Atubolu, Treu, Ginter, Ogbus, Gunter, Eggestein, Osterhage, Beste, Manzambi, Suzuki, Matanovic.
Bayer Leverkusen: Blaswich, Quansah, Andrich, Tapsoba, Poku, Fernandez, Garcia, Grimaldo, Hofmann, Maza, Kofane.
The match between Freiburg and Bayer Leverkusen takes place at 9:30 PM on March 7th (Vietnam time).
