BThis week does not look particularly promising for SC Freiburg. Having to play Bayern Munich twice is a titanic task: first this Tuesday (8.45 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the DFB Cup and on Sky, as well as on ARD) in Munich in the DFB Cup round of 16, then on Saturday at home in the Bundesliga (3.30 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Bundesliga and on Sky).
And that too after two peevish ties in the championship. In Mainz, the Breisgau soccer pros gave up a 1-0 lead at the last minute. In the home game on Saturday, the Berliners also equalized, albeit after 77 minutes. The emotionally overflowing coach Christian Streich (“That pisses me off!”) reacted correspondingly angry to the second draw in a row.
Last year’s cup finalists will not travel to Munich with an excess of self-confidence – even if Streich’s basically stable team is undefeated in seven league games. Will that particularly impress Bayern, who have never lost to Freiburg at home, under their new coach and motivator Thomas Tuchel?
Enjoy yourself!
Streich, a subtle fatalist, also said when looking back at the 5-0 defeat in the Bundesliga first leg at Bayern in mid-October: “If we’re in Munich, we’re looking forward to playing there.”
Enjoy yourself! Being able to reach the cup final again in Berlin on June 3 seems like a distant utopia in view of the current constellation after Bayern Munich’s 4-2 win over Borussia Dortmund, which was convincing over long stretches.
Rather, there is a chance of at least a small sense of achievement, i.e. another draw in the league, when we meet again in Freiburg four days later. Streich’s defensively mostly strong, but offensively too often harmless team can at least ensure a tough duel this evening by blocking Bayern’s access to the dangerous areas in the best possible way.
The Freiburg professionals, fourth in the Bundesliga, are tried and tested fighters in the many duels for the decisive advantage. It speaks for the coach and the team that since the start of the season the team has always been among the top six in the table, with the exception of the second match day. Being strong in small things and hoping for one big moment: That can be an opportunity for SC Freiburg.
There should not be another collective task like the one in autumn 2022. After that, Streich, also a trait of his, became sarcastic. “You could have gone into a duel before,” he remarked, and from his point of view that said everything about the game.
