SC Freiburg aim to continue their perfect start to the Bundesliga season this Saturday in their first away match against newly-promoted SC Paderborn. Coming off a convincing 4:1 home win over Werder Bremen, Christian Streich's side travels to the Home Deluxe Arena sitting second in the table with six points from two games, as reported by sports.yahoo.com.
Freiburg's opening salvo was nearly flawless. Yuito Suzuki stole the headlines with a perfect hat-trick, while Igor Matanovic added a fourth goal. This league victory followed a successful qualification for the UEFA Conference League group stage, secured via a 7:2 aggregate triumph over Motherwell. With five goals scored and only one conceded after two matchdays, the defense is showing strong early form.
Who is missing for SC Freiburg in Paderborn?
Freiburg's injury situation is manageable. According to the current injuries list, Florent Muslija and Rihito Yamamoto remain unavailable. Patrick Osterhage is expected to miss the trip to Paderborn due to a muscular problem. These absences could open the door for returning players: Philipp Lienhart and captain Vincenzo Grifo are pushing for starting spots after being rotated in the opening weeks. The squad was also bolstered on deadline day with the loan arrival of Rayyan Philippe from Hamburger SV.
How is SC Paderborn preparing for the homecoming?
For promoted SC Paderborn, this match marks a special homecoming. It's their first Bundesliga fixture at the Home Deluxe Arena since 2020. Manager Ralf Kettemann's side made a solid start to life in the top flight, earning a point with a 0:0 draw against Mainz. Goalkeeper Nahuel Noll was the hero on his Bundesliga debut, making several important saves to be named Man of the Match. Kettemann said: "Ralf Kettemann's side had to weather plenty of pressure in the second half, with goalkeeper Nahuel Noll producing several important saves on his Bundesliga debut to secure a first point of the campaign." The hosts' absentee list is lengthy, however. Timur Gayret, Nyamekye Awortwie-Grant, Lasse Eickel, Sven Michel, Sebastian Klaas, and Felix Götze-who suffered a minor collision in training-are all ruled out.
What is the historical record in Paderborn?
The last Bundesliga meeting between these two clubs in Paderborn was seven years ago. In August 2019, Freiburg won 3:1. Streli Mamba scored early for the hosts before Luca Waldschmidt, Nils Petersen, and Changhoon Kwon turned the game around for the visitors. Freiburg's sporting director Julian Schuster was pleased with the recent win: "Freiburg could hardly have asked for a better start to their Bundesliga campaign, cruising to a 4:1 victory against Werder Bremen at the Europa-Park Stadion last weekend."
What follows after the Paderborn match?
For SC Freiburg, the away fixture is quickly followed by another home Bundesliga game on September 12. The second-placed side will then host the currently struggling 17th-placed Borussia Mönchengladbach. The full schedule for the season can be viewed on our fixtures page. Another victory in Paderborn would solidify Freiburg's position in the upper reaches of the standings ahead of that important home encounter.
