Two sides with contrasting ambitions collide in the Bundesliga on Sunday afternoon as Champions League-chasing Freiburg host relegation-threatened Schalke 04.
While Freiburg occupy fifth place in the table – one point shy of the top four – Schalke find themselves second from bottom with only six games left to save their season.
Match preview
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Freiburg remain firmly on course to secure back-to-back top-six finishes thanks to another impressive campaign under long-standing boss Christian Streich, who has managed the club since 2011.
Although Freiburg have enjoyed a solid season up to now – losing just six of their 28 Bundesliga encounters – there is a sense that Breisgau-Brasilianer can break into the top four and clinch Champions League football.
In fact, Streich and his players will fancy their chances of finishing even higher come the end of the season, with third-placed Union Berlin sitting just two points above them in the Bundesliga table.
Freiburg head into Sunday's clash on a run of one defeat in five outings across all competitions, having suffered a narrow 1-0 loss to Bayern Munich, although it is worth remembering that Freiburg dispatched Bayern to reach the DFB-Pokal semi-finals earlier this month.
Streich's side have been immense on home soil this term, losing only two of their 14 league games at the Europa-Park Stadion while conceding only 12 goals to notch the division's second-best home defensive record.
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By contrast, Schalke 04 have been woeful on their travels throughout the campaign, winning just one of their 13 away league games while netting a measly seven goals, four goals fewer than the second-lowest scorers on the road, VfL Bochum.
It is worth noting, however, that Schalke have made vast improvements under Thomas Reis, who replaced Frank Kramer as manager back in October.
Indeed, Reis oversaw an eight-game unbeaten run between January and March, recording six draws as well as crucial victories over relegation rivals Stuttgart and Bochum to give the Royal Blues a fighting chance of avoiding the drop.
Back-to-back defeats against Bayer Leverkusen and Hoffenheim earlier this month reignited relegation fears, but Schalke bounced back with an emphatic 5-2 thrashing of Hertha Berlin last weekend to move two points clear of the bottom club.
Reis's men now find themselves three points shy of guaranteed safety, but they will need to emulate last weekend's performance in their remaining matches if they are to steer clear of trouble.
Team News
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Freiburg will be without injured striker Michael Gregoritsch (ankle) on Sunday after the Austrian missed last weekend's 2-1 victory at Werder Bremen, meaning that Lucas Holer and Roland Sallai will continue in attack.
Gregoritsch will be unable to enhance his tally of 12 goals and five assists, but Streich can still call upon Vincenzo Grifo, who has 15 goals and six assists to his name, and Ritsu Doan, who has contributed six goals and six assists this term.
The hosts also have Manuel Gulde (thigh) and Daniel-Kofi Kyereh (knee) on the sidelines, so Philipp Lienhart and Matthias Ginter are expected to continue at centre-back.
On the flip side, Schalke's injury list contains Cedric Brunner (shoulder), Justin Heekeren (knee), Soichiro Kozuki (ankle) and Sebastian Polter (knee).
There are also question marks over the availability of Ralf Fahrmann (groin) and Tim Skarke (ankle), leaving Reis with limited options in every department.
Marius Bulter will retain his place in the starting XI after bagging a brace in last weekend's thrashing of Hertha, while Simon Terodde is expected to lead the line again.
Freiburg possible starting lineup:
Flekken; Kubler, Ginter, Lienhart, Gunter; Eggestein, Hofler; Doan, Grifo; Sallai, Holer
Schalke 04 possible starting lineup:
Schwolow; Uronen, Jenz, Kaminski, Matriciani; Latza, Kral; Skarke, Drexler, Bulter; Terodde
We say: Freiburg 2-0 Schalke 04
Having won eight of their 14 home league games this season – conceding just 12 goals along the way – Freiburg look set to strengthen their top-four bid with a comfortable victory over Schalke 04, who are on course to suffer yet another defeat on the road.
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