The cup success in Sandhausen gives SC Freiburg self-confidence and stability for the Bundesliga home game against VfB Stuttgart (Saturday, 3.30 p.m.), believes coach Christian Streich, who is suspended for this game.
Not on the sidelines against VfB Stuttgart: Christian Streich (left).
IMAGO/Team 2
In recent years, VfB Stuttgart has been one of Freiburg’s favorite opponents, as they have won the last five matches against the Swabians. Incidentally, the sports club has not managed to do this six times in a row against a Bundesliga team. In addition, the sports club is currently in the international ranks and VfB is fighting against relegation. “We’re the favorites in the table,” said Streich, but expect a “close game” in the sold-out stadium, and “there’s definitely a healthy emotionality there.”
Streich is happy about a “good match” in Sandhausen
Freiburg won the first leg 1-0 thanks to an early goal by Vincenzo Grifo, who delivered the “can opener” with his corner kick in the cup game in Sandhausen last Tuesday to qualify for the quarter-finals. The success at the second division, and above all the clean sheet, did the team good, explained the SC coach – after the two packs in Wolfsburg and Dortmund.
Even though it was “certainly not as exciting for the spectators” as the cup games in Bochum and Frankfurt, he saw a good game from his team because they were more stable than before: “We didn’t allow many counterattacks and defended well early on and created chances for us that were pretty good.” Not having used it earlier was one of the SC coach’s few points of criticism, and he would have sometimes wished for the pace of the game to be a little faster during construction.
“More stable in passing” and “Patience”
In midfield, Nicolas Höfler and Maximilian Eggestein were “more stable in the passing game” again, Streich continued to praise. “Patience and order were there, that’s good for the game on Saturday.” Because of his yellow-red ban, he will only follow this in front of a screen, on the sidelines he will be represented by assistant coach Lars Voßler. However, as usual, he is involved in the preparations.
From the video study, the SC coach reported that Stuttgart “did well in Leipzig” and “was unlucky against Bremen”. The fact that VfB now also has to do without their top scorer, Serhou Guirassy, is bitter for the Swabians. He is missing with “his quality in the air and on the ground”. Even Bruno Labbadia’s predecessor Pellegrino Matarazzo had to cope with a lot of bad luck with injuries, including Silas’ cruciate ligament tear. A day after this statement, Freiburg also had to accept this painful diagnosis, namely for summer newcomer Daniel-Kofi Kyereh, for whom this season was over.
Stuttgart: “a team that belongs in the Bundesliga”
If the Stuttgarters don’t have any more serious failures, Streich trusts his VfB colleague “to get it stable” and to stay up in the league. For Streich, VfB is “a club and a team that belongs in the Bundesliga” anyway. Even if they won’t meet in the stadium on Saturday, it’s also a duel between the two most experienced of the current Bundesliga coaches: Streich with 339 games, Labbadia with 276. In a direct comparison of the two, the Freiburger is ahead with five wins, two Draws and three defeats – whereby these games at Labbadia are shared not only with VfB but also with Hamburger SV, VfL Wolfsburg and Hertha BSC.
