SC Freiburg 2026/27 season preview: Transfers, pre-season, predicted lineup & predictions

It says plenty about Freiburg's 2025/26 season that finishing seventh in the Bundesliga almost feels like a footnote. 

Julian Schuster's side collected 47 points from their 34 league matches, ending the campaign with a negative goal difference, but produced a remarkable run in Europe to reach the first continental final in their history. 

The fairytale did not quite get the perfect ending, with Aston Villa winning 3-0 in Istanbul, but the achievement remains one of, if not the greatest in Freiburg history.

As they open their Bundesliga campaign on Sunday, Freiburg welcome Werder Bremen to Breisgau, following the second leg of their Conference League play-off against Motherwell. 

Pre-season performances

Schuster's side opened pre-season with a 3-1 win against Championship club Derby County, as Cyriaque Irie, Vincenzo Grifo and academy youngster Leon Catak found the net.

That was followed by a disappointing 3-0 defeat to Greuther Fürth at the end of their training camp in Schruns.

They then played two shortened friendlies against Strasbourg on the same day and won both 2-0. Rouven Tarnutzer and Grifo scored in the first fixture, before Lucas Höler headed home twice in the second.

After beating Crystal Palace 3-0 in their final pre-season test, the Black Forest club carried their form into competitive action, with wins against Motherwell and Fortuna Düsseldorf in the Conference League and DFB-Pokal.

Schuster's men will face Motherwell again on Thursday, where they are looking to add to their tally of eight goals in two competitive matches before facing Bremen in the league. 

Transfers

Perhaps the most significant addition is goalkeeper Mio Backhaus, who has arrived from Sunday's opponents Bremen.

The 22-year-old established himself in the Bundesliga last season and has immediately taken over as Freiburg's first-choice goalkeeper, starting both competitive matches so far.

That change has left the future of Noah Atubolu uncertain, though he is now set to sign a new deal at the club.

Rihito Yamamoto has joined from Sint-Truiden after making 98 competitive appearances for the Belgian club, while Yannik Engelhardt has returned to Freiburg from Como.

Engelhardt is already familiar with the club after previously playing 54 times for Freiburg's reserve side and spent last season as a regular starter on loan at Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Another player arriving from Belgium is Japanese striker Keisuke Goto.

The 21-year-old joins from Anderlecht after spending last season on loan at Sint-Truiden, where he scored ten goals and provided five assists in 28 league appearances.

The biggest departure is undoubtedly Johan Manzambi, with the Switzerland international has joined Aston Villa after blossoming into a superb Bundesliga talent in Breisgau.

Manzambi made 58 competitive appearances for Freiburg, registering nine goals and 11 assists, and enhanced his reputation further with three goals for Switzerland at the World Cup this summer.

Junior Adamu has joined newly-promoted Schalke, while Noah Weißhaupt and Robert Wagner have joined Darmstadt and Dynamo Dresden respectively.

Predicted starting lineup

4-2-3-1: Backhaus - Treu, Ginter, Rosenfelder, Makengo - Eggestein, Engelhardt - Beste, Suzuki, Grifo - Matanovic

The team Schuster selected against Crystal Palace appears to provide the clearest indication of his current first-choice XI.

Backhaus has immediately established himself in goal, while Philipp Treu has started at right-back with Makengo on the opposite side.

Ginter remains indispensable at centre-back and has started alongside Max Rosenfelder in Freiburg's strongest recent lineups, although Philipp Lienhart provides serious competition and came into the side for the Pokal win in Düsseldorf.

Maximilian Eggestein should retain his central midfield role, while Engelhardt's immediate involvement since his summer move suggests he is currently ahead of Patrick Osterhage and Yamamoto.

Further forward, Yuito Suzuki looks well placed to occupy the role vacated by Manzambi, with Niklas Beste and skipper Grifo flanking him. 

But, Scherhant is making a serious case for more minutes, after registering three goal contributions against Motherwell and Düsseldorf.

Up top, former Eintracht Frankfurt man Matanovic should continue in the role.

Predictions for the upcoming season

Judging Freiburg solely by their run to the Europa League final would give a slightly misleading impression of where they stood domestically last season.

Schuster's side finished seventh with 47 points, 12 behind sixth-placed Bayer Leverkusen and 14 behind Hoffenheim in fifth. They also conceded more Bundesliga goals than they scored.

There is therefore room for improvement.

Losing Manzambi is significant, while the decision to move on from Atubolu and immediately install Backhaus as number one represents another sizeable change.

But, the new arrivals have settled quickly, while the experience of Ginter, Eggestein, Grifo, Kübler and more remains. 

Another European finish will be the target, but the competition is fierce.

Europe may once again provide Freiburg with their greatest opportunity to do something special. Assuming they finish the job against Motherwell, Schuster's side should be regarded among the stronger teams in the Conference League.