SC Freiburg vs. Hoffenheim preview: A Baden-Württemberg derby
Hoffenheim make the short trip to the Europa-Park Stadion on Matchday 18, hoping to end a lackluster run of form.
SC Freiburg
After a disappointing home draw to Union last week, Freiburg are back at home again this weekend. Fans are still hoping at least one transfer will come through the doors this winter, as Paderborn midfielder Florent Muslija continues to be linked.
Manuel Gulde should continue in center defense alongside Matthias Ginter on Matchday 18, but Freiburg’s thin defense is a growing concern as they only seem to have two fit first-team center-backs. Saturday will be a milestone for Vincenzo Grifo, who will play his 250th competitive game for the club.
When asked about Grifo, Christian Streich commented, "Many games from a very good player and person, who fully identifies and sees himself as part of the club. He became a national player here and has achieved a lot which is important to him. Not many would have believed it."
Team News
Philipp Lienhart is undergoing groin surgery and out for the foreseeable future. Christian Günter is likely still a couple weeks away from game time, while Daniel-Kofi Kyereh, Kenneth Schmidt and Ritsu Doan remain unavailable. In other news, Gulde signed a contract extension with the club on Friday.
Hoffenheim
After a decent start to the campaign, Hoffenheim have lost three of their last four matches and now sit just behind Freiburg in 8th place. Pellegrino Matarazzo put out an interesting 3-1-4-2 formation against Bayern last week, but his side failed to capitalize on their chances.
The trainer hinted that Florian Grillitsch could continue in a starting center-back role on Saturday ahead of the likes of Attila Szalai, who looks to have fallen out of favor. Now’s the time for Hoffenheim to start rekindling some momentum, as they face a very winnable schedule following this weekend.
In his presser, Matarazzo said, "Freiburg have built success over several years. They play complete football. Lots of variation with lots of mobility in their build-up play. They are also not conceding many goals which makes them difficult to work out."
Team News
Grischa Prömel is suspended and Dennis Geiger is still unavailable. Marco John and Mergim Berisha are out with long-term injuries, while Matarazzo mentioned that Bambase Conte is close to returning.