Stuttgart’s Title Bid: Freiburg Challenge Looms

Europa League draw

Stuttgart threatens record champions – Freiburg has four possible opponents

Stuttgart and Freiburg have survived the league phase of the Europa League. The starting position is now completely different for both clubs.

In the end, SC Freiburg were happy about a 0-1 away defeat at OSC Lille, while VfB Stuttgart had no joy despite a last-minute 3-2 win against Young Boys Bern. “We are SC Freiburg, we are in seventh place, we can be completely proud of ourselves,” said goalkeeper Noah Atubolu on RTL+. While the Breisgauers move straight into the round of 16, VfB in eleventh place first has to qualify for the round of the last 16 teams via the play-offs.

“Even if they are not in the top eight, VfB is one of the favorites for me,” said Lothar Matthäus on RTL before the game. At the draw on Friday afternoon in Nyon (from 1 p.m. in the live ticker on t-online) it is already clear that the Swabians will meet either the Scottish record champions Celtic Glasgow or Ludogorez Razgrad.

Both teams only secured their way into the play-offs in 21st and 22nd place thanks to victories on the last match day. Stuttgart will play the first leg away on February 19th and will host the Scots or Bulgarians for the second leg a week later (February 26th). In the round of 16, the Swabians would then face FC Porto or SC Braga.

SC Freiburg can sit back and relax tomorrow. Because the round of 16 will be drawn on February 27th in Nyon. However, a small narrowing down is already possible, the SC will face either Brann Bergen, Dinamo Zagreb, FC Bologna or KRC Genk.

Genk narrowly missed out on direct entry into the league phase and only ended up in ninth place due to the poorer goal difference. Bologna, on the other hand, was just one point short of overtaking AS Roma in eighth place.

A direct duel between VfB Stuttgart and SC Freiburg in the Europa League can only take place in the semi-finals at the earliest.