SC Freiburg begins its European season with a playoff first leg in Scotland against Motherwell FC. Yahoo Sports reports the Thursday match is Freiburg's first competitive outing after finishing 8th in the 2025 Bundesliga with 40 points.
Julian Schuster's side qualified for the Europa Conference League for the first time. In the last Bundesliga campaign, they scored 42 goals but conceded 47, resulting in a minus-five goal difference. They ended the title race 36 points behind champions Bayern Munich.
What is Freiburg's current situation?
Freiburg faces a historically short preparation. While Motherwell has already played seven competitive matches, the Bundesliga season for SC only starts on Sunday with an away game at Fortuna Düsseldorf. The team concluded its preseason with a 3-0 win in a 120-minute friendly against Conference League champions Crystal Palace. Furthermore, all-time top scorer Vincenzo Grifo extended his contract on Wednesday. For goalkeeper Mio Backhaus and Erik Engelhardt, the match in Scotland could mark their competitive debuts, as reported by Yahoo Sports.
Freiburg's current squad shows a fully fit team with no injury concerns ahead of the trip to Lanarkshire. The full injury list is available on our injuries page. For Motherwell, however, Oscar Priestman and Johnny Koutroumbis are ruled out. Tom Sparrow and Seb Palmer-Houlden face a race against time to be fit.
What does this playoff mean for the European journey?
The winner of the tie advances directly to the group stage of the Europa Conference League. For Freiburg, it would be a second consecutive European campaign. Last season, the club reached the Europa League final. A success against Motherwell would be a key step towards building on that performance. So far, no Bundesliga club has reached the semi-finals of this competition variant. 1. FSV Mainz 05 made it to the quarter-finals last year.
For Scottish side Motherwell, it would be their first-ever group stage appearance in any European competition. Their previous experience against German clubs is limited to a defeat by Borussia Dortmund three decades ago. For Freiburg, this is the first competitive meeting with a Scottish club.
What could SC Freiburg's lineup look like?
According to the predicted lineup from Yahoo Sports, coach Julian Schuster might field some new faces. In goal, Mio Backhaus could make his debut. In defence, Philipp Lienhart and Matthias Ginter would provide experience. In midfield, new signing Erik Engelhardt could partner Maximilian Eggestein. Vincenzo Grifo would operate as captain and creative force from the left wing. Robert Matanovic could lead the attack.
The expected starting eleven: Backhaus - Treu, Ginter, Lienhart, Makengo - Eggestein, Engelhardt - Beste, Suzuki, Grifo (C) - Matanovic. Complete player stats are available on our statistics page.
What comes after the match in Scotland?
Immediately upon returning from Scotland, the first Bundesliga match of the season awaits. On August 30, SC Freiburg hosts SV Werder Bremen at home. Bremen started the new season in 15th place. This tight schedule underscores the importance of an efficient performance in Scotland to save energy for the first home game. The full schedule can be found on our fixtures page. The Bundesliga opening matches are a challenge for all teams, especially after a season that ended with 11 wins, 7 draws, and 11 losses.
