Freiburg are set to host VfL Bochum at Europa-Park Stadion on Saturday in each side's third Bundesliga game of the campaign.
The home side are 10th with three points and lost 2-0 last time out on September 1 against Bayern Munich, while the visitors are 17th with no points and are currently second-last and in the relegation zone.
Match preview
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The hosts had just 33% possession against Vincent Kompany's Bayern but were able to restrict them to just one big chance other than the penalty that Harry Kane converted in the 38th minute.
Freiburg created few chances themselves, and Lucas Holer will be frustrated that he missed a penalty in the sixth minute of second-half stoppage time, although the Bavarians were already winning 2-0 by that stage.
Despite their defeat last time out in the league, Breisgau-Brasilianer have begun the 2024-25 season better than expected, considering the club beat 2023-24's runners-up Stuttgart 3-1 in their opening match of the current Bundesliga season on August 24.
Boss Julian Schuster will also be pleased that of the 18 teams in the top flight, his side have conceded the 15th least xG even though they have played last season's second and third-placed clubs in the opening two games of the campaign.
However, Schuster's side have only won once in their last seven Bundesliga games, though he has only been in charge since the beginning of the current season and cannot be blamed for their poor overall form.
In fact, the manager oversaw the club's first league win at home in their last nine matches, with the team losing four times and drawing once prior to their win against Stuttgart.
![Peter Zeidler, manager of VfL Bochum, on the third day of his side's training camp in Gais, on July 30, 2024 [on August 16, 2024]](https://sm.imgix.net/24/33/peter-zeidler.jpg?w=640&h=480&auto=compress,format&fit=clip "Peter Zeidler, manager of VfL Bochum, on the third day of his side's training camp in Gais, on July 30, 2024 [on August 16, 2024]")
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Opponents Bochum come into the clash having lost 2-0 last time out in the league against Borussia Monchengladbach on August 31, when they were outclassed in truth.
Borussia Monchengladbach had 15 shots and 62% possession, and though Bochum produced 15 shots themselves, many of their attempts were rather tame.
Die Blauen lost 1-0 against RB Leipzig in their first league game of the season on August 24, although they were unfortunate to not have scored in that match considering they created three big chances.
Bochum boss Peter Zeidler, who is embarking on his first season in charge of the club, will be concerned that his side have lost their last four Bundesliga games, scoring just once in this period.
The visitors have also lost nine, drawn two and won just one of their last 12 games on the road in the top flight.
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Team News
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Freiburg will be without Michael Gregoritsch, Manuel Gulde, Daniel-Kofi Kyereh and Kiliann Sildillia due to injury.
The hosts could name a defence of Lukas Kubler, Matthias Ginter, Philipp Lienhart and Christian Gunter in front of goalkeeper Noah Atubolu.
Bochum have three confirmed absentees, with Bernardo and Mohammed Tolba unavailable due to injury and match fitness concerns, while Manuel Riemann has not been included in the squad.
Defender Ivan Ordets could also miss out, but the visitors may name Felix Passlack, Jakov Medic, Erhan Masovic and Maximilian Wittek in defence.
Freiburg possible starting lineup:
Atubolu; Kubler, Ginter, Lienhart, Gunter; Eggestein, Osterhage; Doan, Rohl, Grifo; Adamu
VfL Bochum possible starting lineup:
Drewes; Passlack, Medic, Masovic, Wittek; Losilla, Sissoko, Bero; De Wit; Hofmann, Boadu
We say: Freiburg 2-0 VfL Bochum
Despite a difficult start to the season, Freiburg have performed well in their opening two games of the Bundesliga, and if they perform as well as they did against Stuttgart on Saturday then they should be favourites.
Given Bochum's poor away record, it would be surprising if they managed to earn any points at all this weekend.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Lewis Nolan
