Freiburg vs Borussia Mönchengladbach preview: Pokal finalists hunting a Champions League place
Fresh from a semi-final victory in the DFB-Pokal, Freiburg will return to league action looking for a victory against Borussia Mönchengladbach that would keep them firmly in the frame for Champions League qualification.
| Christian Streich. | Photo: Steven Schaap, CC BY-SA 4.0 |
Freiburg
A historic season has continued to create long-lasting memories, and Freiburg experienced another notable moment in midweek as they booked their place in the DFB-Pokal final with a 3-1 victory over Hamburg.
Although they have a cup final to look forward to, Freiburg have little time to celebrate their semi-final victory, with four crucial Bundesliga matches coming up.
After thrashing Bochum 3-0 last weekend, Christian Streich's side are just one point adrift of the top four. They may be dreaming of a place in the Champions League, but for that dream to become reality they must negotiate a tricky run-in, with Freiburg still to face Gladbach, Hoffenheim, Union Berlin and Bayer Leverkusen.
Their fixture list may be tough, but they enter the final stretch of the season in imperious form. They have lost just one of their last 11 matches in all competitions, while the win over Hamburg represented their third consecutive victory.
Freiburg's recent home results also offer reasons to be positive, as they have won three of their last four home matches, scoring three goals in each of those wins.
Team News
The hosts are unable to call upon the services of Yannik Keitel and Kevin Schade, who miss out due to injury issues.
Borussia Mönchengladbach
After enjoying a four-match unbeaten run that included three victories, Gladbach were brought back down to earth last weekend, when they suffered a Rhine derby defeat.
The derby encounter with FC Köln was effectively over within 34 minutes, as Steffen Baumgart's side raced into a three-goal lead. A late strike from Breel Embolo added an ounce of respectability to the scoreline, but it couldn't prevent Gladbach from falling to a demoralising defeat.
As a result of the defeat, Die Fohlen occupy 11th spot, and it is fair to assume that Saturday's visitors will be pleased to see the back of the 2021-22 campaign.
Although there is not much to play for, Adi Hütter will be challenging his side to finish in the top half of the table, with Die Fohlen currently two points adrift of ninth place.
If they are to finish the season on the front foot then Gladbach need to remain solid defensively, and that is easier said than done for a team that hold the third-worst defensive record in the Bundesliga.
They have, however, been defensively sound in their last two away fixtures, which have both resulted in 2-0 Gladbach victories.
Team News
A hamstring issue will keep Marcus Thuram out of proceedings, while Matthias Ginter and Lászlo Bénes are also injury absentees for the visitors.