FC Köln vs. SC Freiburg preview: The Breisgau club have Europe on their minds
Freiburg travel to the RheinEnergieStadion on Saturday in hopes of improving their chances at improbably securing a spot in the Champions League.
FC Köln
Following a disastrous run of form, the Billy Goats haven’t lost in their last four league games and easily took care of business against Hoffenheim last weekend. This means that Köln are on 35 points and clear of the relegation fight.
It’s been an emotional week as club captain Jonas Hector announced his retirement from football. The 32-year-old has been on Köln’s books since 2010 and has made 342 competitive appearances for the club.
Steffen Baumgart said, “We're working on a plan for next year. At the moment, we can't do much. We're looking at what could happen. We'll see what is possible but we want to focus on the here and now, that is Freiburg on Saturday.”
Team News
It was also announced this week that goalkeeper Timo Horn, who joined the club when he was 9 years old, will depart in the summer. Jeff Chabot will be in Saturday’s squad, while Sebastian Andersson, Mark Uth and Florian Dietz remain out.
SC Freiburg
Freiburg breezed past Schalke on Matchday 29 and have settled into the 4th spot in the standings. It’s been another incredible season for Christian Streich’s boys, who are also still alive in the DFB-Pokal.
They must avoid looking ahead towards their salivating rematch against Leipzig in the tournament next week. Michael Gregoritsch and Lucas Höler are expected to start again in a front two this weekend, while Roland Sallai could return to the starting IX.
Streich stated, "(Köln) are a team that do everything. Good football, forward-thinking. They also had bad luck with injuries, but they don't complain about that. And their attitude has already put them in a good position."
Team News
Daniel-Kofi Kyereh and Manuel Gulde won’t play, while Ritsu Doan is questionable with an illness. Both Sallai and Maximilian Eggestein will return after serving their yellow-card suspensions.