Hoffenheim vs. Freiburg preview: Visitors looking for strong away performance

Hoffenheim

Christian Ilzer may have started his tenure as Hoffenheim boss with a home win, but he has since experienced a poor run of results, having seen his team lose three consecutive away matches. Hoffenheim fell to a heavy 3-0 defeat in their Europa League clash with Braga, before they were beaten 2-0 in last Sunday’s league meeting with Mainz. Unfortunately for Ilzer, his team experienced another unsuccessful road trip in midweek, as they slumped to a 3-0 loss in their DFB-Pokal tie against Wolfsburg.

After suffering a last-16 exit in the cup, Hoffenheim will now turn their focus back to league action, with die Kraichgauer languishing in 14th place after winning three, drawing three and losing six of their 12 league games. Hoffenheim will be hoping to claim their fourth league win in Sunday’s home fixture, but that may be easier said than done due to their poor record in recent meetings with Freiburg. Their most recent head-to-head win took place in December 2021 when they recorded a narrow 2-1 away victory. Meanwhile, they have not beaten Freiburg in a competitive home game since September 2018.

Team News

The hosts are unable to call upon Christopher Lenz, Ozan Kabak, Umut Tohumcu, Florian Grillitsch, Grischa Prömel, Marius Bülter and Ihlas Bebou.

Freiburg

Freiburg are experiencing an underwhelming run of form, having won one, drawn two and lost two of their last five competitive matches. The sole victory in that period took place in their most recent league outing, with a Lucas Höler brace helping them claim a 3-1 home victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach. Unfortunately for Freiburg, they were unable to collect another win in their midweek DFB-Pokal clash with Arminia Bielefeld. Michael Gregoritsch’s 63rd-minute effort proved to be fruitless in a 3-1 defeat against the second-tier side. The loss condemned them to a last-16 exit and extended their winless away run to four competitive matches (D1, L3).

Julian Schuster’s side will now turn their focus back to league action, with Freiburg sitting in seventh place ahead of Saturday’s fixtures. The Breisgau-Brasilianer have won six, drawn two and lost four of their 12 matches in the Bundesliga this season. Their recent record against Hoffenheim suggests they have every chance of claiming their seventh league win on Sunday. Freiburg have won five of their previous six competitive meetings, including a Bundesliga double last season. The Breisgau-Brasilianer claimed a 2-1 away victory in August 2023, before they recorded a 3-2 home win in January.

Team News

Daniel-Kofi Kyereh remains unavailable for selection, while Junior Adamu will serve the second game of a three-match suspension.