Freiburg vs Wolfsburg Preview: Team News & Prediction
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Freiburg will need to keep their composure against Wolfsburg as they continue to balance domestic and European commitments.
Kick-off date/time:
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Freiburg preview: Bundesliga backseat
The reality is that right now for Freiburg, the Bundesliga is second on the list of priorities compared to the Europa League. Their first league semi-final against Braga ended with them losing 2-1 in Portugal and with the return leg this coming Thursday, Julian Schuster must balance his squad according when it comes to rotation and who rests here.
When it comes to the Bundesliga, Freiburg sit in eighth-place with their highest realistic finish being seventh-place when considering that there is a 12-point gap between them and sixth-placed Bayer Leverkusen heading into this latest round of fixtures. With that in mind, the Europa League represents their only viable route into next season’s Champions League.
Wolfsburg preview: Fighting for their lives
Wolfsburg are in the trenches right now, battling for their Bundesliga existence with them currently floundering inside the automatic relegation places. However, only a point separates them from St. Pauli in 16th-place ahead of this weekend’s round of games, so the fight is far from over. Most encouragingly, Wolfsburg have shown signs of life in recent matches, picking up four points from their last two.
A massive 1-2 win away at Union Berlin was backed up by a 0-0 draw against Borussia Monchengladbach, but with champions Bayern Munich on the horizon following their trip to Freiburg, this is a fixture which they simply need to get something out of, with their final day showdown with St. Pauli also looming large.
Freiburg team news: No injury changes
Freiburg remain without Kyereh, Osterhage and Rosenfelder, whilst Schuster could opt to give the likes of Beste and Matanovic a rest with one eye on their Europa League semi-final second leg on Thursday.
Predicted XI: (4-2-3-1): Atubolu; Treu, Ginter, Lienhart, Gunter; Eggestein, Manzambi; Scherhant, Suzuki, Grifo; Holer
Unavailable: Kyereh (Injured), Osterhage (Injured), Rosenfelder (Injured)
Questionable:
Wolfsburg team news: Arnold the latest blow
Wolfsburg are still nursing a lengthy list of injuries with Max Arnold the latest player to go down in what is a huge blow. He is expected to be ruled out for the rest of the season, whilst Jonas Wind is also missing for the visitors.
Predicted XI: (3-4-3): Grabara; Vavro, Belocian, Koulierakis; Zehnter, Souza, Eriksen, Maehle; Wimmer, Pejcinovic, Amoura
Unavailable: Arnold (Injured), Cleiton (Injured), Dardai (Injured), Fischer (Injured), Rogerio (Injured), Seelt (Injured), Wind (Injured)
Questionable:
Freiburg vs Wolfsburg prediction
This is a big opportunity for Wolfsburg when taking into account the European commitments of Freiburg. The hosts have a much bigger game on their plate only four days later and only three days prior to their first-leg encounter at Braga, it would be no surprise to see this Freiburg side slightly burnt out and not at their best.
Wolfsburg on the other hand, are fighting with everything they will want the victory far more than their opponents. That should be reflected in their play and the extra energy and commitment we are likely to see from them gives the away side a great chance of getting something here, so back at least a point, if not all three for Wolfsburg.
Freiburg vs Wolfsburg tip: Double chance - draw/Wolfsburg
