SC Freiburg vs. FC Schalke 04 preview: Unbeaten hosts face Schalke’s stubborn defense

SC Freiburg’s unbeaten Bundesliga start will be tested on Sunday as they entertain newly-promoted Schalke 04 at Europa-Park Stadion.

Freiburg

Eintracht Frankfurt ended Freiburg’s winning streak just before the international break as Julian Schuster’s side held to a 2-2 draw after six victories in all competitions. Before their first league phase game of the UEFA Europa Conference League against Jablonec, they will hope to keep their perfect home record on Sunday.

The successful Germany debuts by Philipp Treu and Derry Scherhant further showcased the progress made by Freiburg under Schuster. Last season’s Europa League finalists are now hoping to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in their history.

Team News

Yannick Engelhardt also made his international debut for Jürgen Klopp’s side, while Max Rosenfelder was part of the first squad. Lucas Höler scored twice in a 4-2 friendly win over Luzern, while Vincenzo Grifo was also on the scoresheet after his slow start to the season.

Schalke

Yet to concede at home this season, Schalke recorded their first win back in Bundesliga in their last away fixture against Union Berlin. Three summer signings were on target in the 3-1 win for the Royal Blues, including ex-Union Berlin player Robin Gosens.

While their defensive performances have been impressive, Miron Muslic’s side were scoreless in the other three games so far this season. Similarly, Schalke struggled for goals for the majority of last season despite finishing top of 2. Bundesliga.

Team News

The vice-captain Timo Becker is a doubt with an ankle injury, while Dejan Ljubicic remains out due to a knee injury. Edin Džeko is back after a memorable tribute to him in his last appearance for Bosnia and Herzegovina during the international break.

Head-to-Head

Freiburg won each of the last five games against Schalke with an aggregate score of 16-0. Schalke’s last win away at Freiburg came back in 2017 as Daniel Caligiuri scored the only goal of the game against his former club.

Höler and Matthias Ginter were on target when Freiburg beat Schalke 4-0 in the last head-to-head fixture between the sides in April 2023.

Predicted Lineups

Click here to see our predicted starting lineups for SC Freiburg vs. FC Schalke 04.