Bochum – Freiburg : Preview & Prediction
Although Bochum will start this matchday out of the relegation zone, it is worth noting that they lost the division in the only Bundesliga season in which they had lost more games at this point (1994/95), so they are far from safe. An expected 3-0 debacle at the hands of Bayern Munich last time out left Bochum with a tenth defeat in 11 Bundesliga away games this season, further highlighting the urgent need for home points if they are to survive.
Fortunately, the Blues have already made their stadium a fortress in recent months, accumulating maximum points in their last five league games here (G5) in what is their longest home winning streak in Bundesliga since 1997, and if they defeat Freiburg and their next opponent at the Vonovia Ruhrstadion, Schalke, then they will equal their all-time club record set in 1974!
Christian Streich’s Freiburg will surely pose a serious threat to that potential record, as no other current Bundesliga team can boast a higher win rate in head-to-head clashes in the top flight away from home (50 %). A pair of penalties helped Freiburg return to the top four with a 2-1 win over Stuttgart the previous matchday, a result that also secures them more points at this stage of the campaign than in any other Bundesliga season of the three-points-per-win era (37).
Despite the positives, it is worth noting that Freiburg have not been a team that has performed well away from home in recent times, conceding 14 goals in three straight Bundesliga defeats. Admittedly, all of those defeats came against sides ranked in the top seven in the standings, and, when dealing with lower-tier opposition, they have yet to lose to any side that started the weekend between 8th and 18th (G4, E2).
Key battle: With Bochum committing a league-high 12 penalties this season, the Bundesliga’s ninth-most fouled player, Anthony Losilla (29), may need to be on his best behavior. Freiburg’s Vincenzo Grifo will be chuckling at the aforementioned statistic, as the Italian has been the victim of seven penalties this season, the highest number in the league, and converted six of them.
Standout stat: Streich has never drawn in the six matches he has managed against Bochum in his career (G3, P3).
Bochum – Freiburg : Betting Tips
Freiburg – Win Odds: 2.25
