Freiburg (dpa / lsw) – Christian Streich didn’t feel much euphoria anymore. He rarely smiled when the SC Freiburg coach spoke on Thursday about his team’s upcoming task in the Bundesliga. Baden’s first entry into the DFB Cup final is over for the 56-year-old for the time being. His full concentration is on the upcoming home game against Borussia Mönchengladbach on Saturday (3.30 p.m. / Sky).
It’s the first of five more games for Freiburg in this outstanding season so far. If they win all five, they are cup winners and definitely also Champions League participants, as defender Nico Schlotterbeck has already calculated. But the hurdles are high. Also against Borussia, which is in a low mood.
The Gladbachers “certainly have anger in their stomachs because they lost the derby,” emphasized Streich recently, looking at the 1: 3 of the guests against 1. FC Köln. In addition, Borussia lost the first leg against Freiburg in December 0:6. “Of course they want to make this day forgotten,” said the SC coach. “It would be the same for us.”
After the emotional 3-1 in the cup at Hamburger SV on Tuesday and before the grueling final spurt of the season, the Freiburg team is trying to “bring energy back in”. You have to find the right “balance” both tactically and in terms of personnel, said Streich. That applies to the Gladbach game as well as to the rest of the program.
Borussia Mönchengladbach (31st matchday): The 1:3 in the derby against Cologne last weekend was another low point for eleventh in the table. The mood is extremely bad, coach Adi Hütter has long been controversial in fan circles. Borussia has a lot to make up for against Freiburg after the violent 0: 6 smack in the first leg. The final sprint is about proving that working with the coach beyond the summer makes sense.
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim (Matchday 32): The Kraichgauers have been without a win for five games and have fallen back to eighth place in the table. Against the designated relegated team from Fürth, they couldn’t get past a 0-0 draw. As of now, Freiburg are traveling in a week and a half as favorites for the Baden duel with TSG.
1. FC Union Berlin (33rd matchday): It will be exciting to see whether their bitter cup knockout in Leipzig throws Köpenicker off track. So far they have played a strong season again despite the winter move from storm ace Max Kruse to Wolfsburg. In sixth place in the league, they are currently the first pursuer of the sports club.
Bayer Leverkusen (Matchday 34): Above all, the absence of attacking star Florian Wirtz with a knee injury is a problem for the Werkself. They recently remained goalless against Bochum (0-0) and Leipzig (0-1). The lead over Freiburg has melted down to one point. On the last matchday there could be a final for the premier class.
RB Leipzig (DFB Cup final): Coach Domenico Tedesco’s team has now been unbeaten in 15 competitive games. Despite the messed up first half of the season, RB is now third in the league, for the third time in four years in the cup final and in the round of four in the Europa League. As of now, Leipzig is the favorite in Berlin on May 21.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:220421-99-992937/4
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