Freiburg – Stuttgart : Preview & Prediction
Freiburg’s last few weeks have been “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”, as great home form has been accompanied by some woeful away results. The 5-1 loss to Borussia Dortmund last weekend was the third drubbing in the last three away games (total score: 14-2), yet they are unbeaten in eight games at home (G6, E2), making them clear favorites for this match.
That inconsistency between playing at home and away threatens to keep Freiburg out of next season’s European competitions, as they are now in sixth place but only five points ahead of Wolfsburg (7th) before the start of this matchday. Coach Christian Streich has welcomed the 2-0 midweek DFB-Pokal win over Sandhasuen with open arms, but he cannot let his guard down seeing his team’s sluggish defense, which has worsened tremendously in a short time. Freiburg are still the team with the most clean sheets (eight), but have gone six games without a clean sheet.
Without having played in midweek, Stuttgart cannot afford to waste any advantage they can gain in trying to end a dreadful run of five league games without a win, and these are not the results that the coach who arrived in December, Bruno Labbadia, would have wished for when he took control of the team. Moreover, the three wins in 19 Bundesliga games (E7, P9) is the worst record in their history at this stage of the competition.
Thus, it is not surprising that Stuttgart are at the bottom of the standings at the start of the matchday, with their poor form at the back being their biggest problem. The team has found the back of the net in three of the last four matches, although that is of little use given the poor defensive record of the team, which has not kept a clean sheet in 15 league games. In fact, Stuttgart have the worst record in the league at this level.
Key battle: Vincenzo Grifo has equaled his Bundesliga goal tally of his last three seasons (nine), helped by scoring three penalties in Freiburg’s last three home games. Stuttgart full-back Borna Sosa will have the tough task of keeping him at bay, but he has already managed to provide eight assists in competitive matches this season and the team welcomed his return from injury last week.
Key stat: Freiburg will be looking to make history by claiming their sixth straight win over the same Bundesliga opponent for the first time.
Freiburg – Stuttgart : Betting Tips
Freiburg – Win Odds: 1.95
