SC Freiburg head coach Julian Schuster praised the defensive resilience of FC Schalke 04 ahead of their upcoming Bundesliga fixture, calling the opponent’s collective work off the ball “very unpleasant” for opposing teams, SC Freiburg reported.
Freiburg enters Sunday’s match at 17:30 local time (CET) / 16:30 UTC on October riding a historic wave, having collected 10 of a possible 12 points to open the Bundesliga season — the best start in the club’s top-flight history. Meanwhile, promoted Schalke arrives with five points from four matches, occupying a mid-table position while remaining unbeaten in their last three outings under coach Miron Muslic.
Schuster Warns of Schalke Resilience and Counter-Attacking Speed
Speaking to the media ahead of Sunday’s encounter, Schuster highlighted the tactical discipline shown by the Gelsenkirchen side, pointing specifically to their 0–0 stalemate against FC Bayern Munich as proof of their defensive capability. Schuster noted that beyond their low block, the visitors possess dangerous vertical speed in transition and significant threat from set-pieces, requiring his side to exercise patience during Sunday’s home fixture.
Freiburg Players Achieve International Milestones
While a portion of the Freiburg squad enjoyed a brief respite during the international window, featuring training sessions with invited youth prospects and a friendly against FC Luzern, twelve senior players traveled across the globe for national team duties. Schuster expressed satisfaction with the milestones achieved by his players, noting that Philipp Treu, Derry Scherhant, Yannik Engelhardt, and Jordy Makengo all earned their senior international debuts, while Mio Backhaus secured U21 European Championship qualification with Germany. For Sunday’s restart, Freiburg will be without only the injured Bruno Ogbus and Berkay Yilmaz.
Schalke Struggles to Score Through Strikers
In contrast to Freiburg’s offensive output — which has produced 24 goals across seven competitive matches in all competitions this season — Bild detailed the mounting pressure on Schalke manager Miron Muslic to solve a sputtering attack. The Gelsenkirchen outfit has yet to record a goal from an out-and-out striker in the league this campaign, with all three of their Bundesliga goals coming from defenders and midfielders. Bild also noted that arrivals Junior Adamu, formerly of Freiburg, and Hee-chan Hwang are still adapting to their new surroundings, while key defensive midfielder Ron Schallenberg returns to availability following a red-card suspension incurred against Augsburg.
Sunday’s match marks the opening fixture of a demanding stretch for the Breisgau club, which faces four consecutive English weeks featuring seven total competitive fixtures across twenty days, alongside the commencement of the UEFA Conference League league phase.
Additional Squad Adjustments for Schalke
Schalke manager Miron Muslic faces further personnel questions ahead of the trip, with Moussa Sylla expected to return to the starting lineup after beginning the previous match on the bench. At the same time, young talents Mertcan Ayhan and Vitalie Becker have seen limited involvement this season, prompting scrutiny over squad integration as Schalke prepares to face a Freiburg side against which they have suffered five consecutive away defeats in the top flight, conceding four goals in each of their last three visits to the Breisgau.
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