Intense running and being flexible

SC Freiburg preview
preliminary report
Thursday, 11.04.2019 / 18:20

Run hard, intense, selfless – These three words can be used to sum up the playing style for the game against SC Freiburg. Christian Streich’s team is full of players who will never give up. “They compensate a lot from how much they run and their organization,” warned head coach Florian Kohfeldt. Werder fully felt the force of Freiburg in the first half of the season as they were only able to get a point after a Ludwig Augustinsson extra-time equalizer and Jiri Pavlenka master class in goal. With his superb saves, he even got the appraisal from Christian Streich, the Freiburg coach. On Saturday, the two teams face each other again, this time at the Weserstadion (15:30 CEST).

Previous meeting: A game which lacked consistency but had an outstanding goalkeeper. This is how the first game between Werder Bremen and SC Freiburg could have been described. Both teams had a number of big opportunities. Florian Kohfeldt’s team had a difficult start to the game and were unable to create any real opportunities until the half hour mark, where Kruse, Harnik and Klaassen had chances. Ten minutes later, Freiburg took the lead through Luca Waldschmidt who converted a penalty. In the second half, Jiri Pavlenka held Freiburg at bay, leaving even Christian Streich amazed. It wasn’t until injury time when Ludwig Augustinsson scored to secure a point for the Green-Whites.

Jiri Pavlenka in action in the previous meeting against Freiburg this season (Photo: nordphoto).

The opponents: This season, Werder have impressed in front of goal but also their miles run during games. Only three teams have ran more than Werder – and one of the teams is Freiburg. Therefore, it is not surprising that they have ground out results, like their 1-1 draw with FC Bayern two weeks ago. However, SC Freiburg did concede five goals against Mainz 05 last week. However, Florian Kohfeldt claimed that Freiburg were the better team despite the score line. Therefore, the Green-White’s head coach will know that the Mainz result was a one off.

Squad news: For the sold-out home game, Florian Kohfeldt will have to be without Fin Bartels and Philipp Bargfrede. The defensive midfielder suffered a setback during his recovery and will therefore not be in the squad to face Freiburg. Hopefully this is no ‘long term’ according to Kohfeldt. There was positive news however about Yuya Osako who could be back in the starting XI following his assist against Gladbach last weekend. Davy Klaassen will have to be careful though as a fifth yellow card could mean that he is suspended for the game against FC Bayern.

The boss on the game: “There isn’t any extra glamour because our previous performances count for nothing if we don’t beat Freiburg,” responded Florian Kohfeldt regarding the question of how the Green-Whites prepare for an allegedly less glamorous match.  Additionally, the Werder head coach praised the Freiburg style of play. “They cover an enormous amount of ground during matches and this can compensate potential lack of quality. They are incredibly well organized and are very flexible tactically.” Kohfeldt praised his opposite coach Christian Streich, whose teams have played exceptionally in recent years. Streich has also worked hard to develop his philosophy. “You certainly don’t know with absolute certainly how Freiburg will play.”

Key player: SC Freiburg are currently suffering from a long list of absentees through injury, including former Werder attacker Nils Petersen. Nicolas Höfler received his fifth yellow card of the season against Mainz, meaning he will miss the match through suspension. Freiburg have to decide who will replace Höfler in central midfielder and this could affect the Breisgauer’s chances of picking up points in Bremen. Mike Frantz has the personal mentality to carry the side and could be an option to replace Höfler. The captain started the defeat in Mainz at centre-back and could return to midfield on Saturday. Germany U21s international Robin Koch is an alternative to Frantz. Christian Streich has to make a decision but this is unlikely to change his plan for his formation and gameplan.

The officials: Bibiana Steinhaus is the referee for the match in the Weser-Stadion and she was last in charge of a Green-Whites match on matchday 17 as Werder fell to a 3-2 defeat away in Leipzig. The 40-year-old police officer will be assisted by Alexander Sather and Thomas Stein on the sidelines. Norbert Grudzinski is the fourth official while Benjamin Brand and Timo Gerach will be in the booth as the Video Assistant Referees (VAR).

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