Freiburg vs Stuttgart

Bundesliga surprise package Stuttgart head to Europa-Park Stadion to square off against underperforming Freiburg.

Frustrated Freiburg boss Christian Streich lashed out at his squad’s match fitness after a 3-1 away loss to Werder Bremen last weekend put them at risk of missing out on a European finish. Bidding to avoid back-to-back league defeats for the first time since September, the hosts will be out to avenge a humiliating 5-0 defeat in the reverse fixture, which arrested their superb six-game winning H2H league streak beforehand. But optimism is in short supply around the ‘Breisgau Brazilians’ camp after a once-impenetrable backline capitulated at least twice in three of their last four Bundesliga outings (W1, D1, L2). Freiburg’s patchy form culminated with Streich’s team slipping outside the European qualification places, putting an added emphasis on extending a seven-game unbeaten home league form (W4, D3).

Meanwhile, Stuttgart’s below-par two-game losing start to the new calendar year was put to bed last weekend with a jaw-dropping 5-2 demolition of RB Leipzig on home soil, reinforcing the visitors’ bid to secure a top-four finish for the first time since 2008/08. Manager Sebastian Hoeness has turned last season’s relegation playoff contestants into valid top-four candidates, largely thanks to Stuttgart’s rock-solid home form. However, ‘Die Schwaben’ have been nothing short of wasteful on their recent Bundesliga travels, sustaining four defeats in their last five away matches (W1), including three straight losses in the lead-up to this encounter. Three H2H heartaches at Europa-Park Stadion paint a bleak picture, increasing the likelihood of Stuttgart losing four consecutive away games in the Bundesliga for the first time since 2022.