Düsseldorf vs Freiburg – News and Probable Lineups

Fortuna Dusseldorf will be looking to create one of the biggest surprises in the DFB-Pokal when they host Freiburg at Merkur Spiel-Arena on Sunday.

The home team enters the first round of the tournament as a third division outfit, while their Bundesliga rivals will be aiming to secure European qualification again, with the DFB-Pokal potentially serving as a pathway to achieve that goal.

Match overview

Fortuna Dusseldorf has experienced a shaky beginning to their 3. Liga season, having lost both of their opening league matches, the latest being a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Hoffenheim II on August 15.

The hosts are twice winners of the DFB-Pokal; however, their last trophy victory came in the 1979-80 season, and they have not progressed past the second round in nine of their most recent 13 appearances in the tournament.

Fortuna faced defeat against Freiburg in the second round in the 2025-26 edition, going down 3-1 in October 2025, but they have secured three wins and suffered only two losses in their last six encounters with the visitors.

The loss to Hoffenheim II ended a run of two consecutive competitive wins at home for Alexander Ende’s side, who have now suffered three defeats in their last five games at Merkur Spiel-Arena.

Freiburg has yet to kick off their Bundesliga campaign, aiming for a fifth European qualification in six seasons during the 2026-27 term.

The visitors reached the Europa League final in the previous season, and their extensive continental journey was likely a factor in their seventh-place finish, two spots lower than their position in 2024-25.

Head coach Julian Schuster successfully led the team to the semi-finals of the DFB-Pokal during the 2025-26 season, marking their third appearance in the last five years in the final stages of the competition.

This term, Breisgau-Brasilianer has only played one official match, winning 3-1 against Motherwell in the first leg of their Conference League qualifier on Thursday.

That victory marked the first time in five away matches that Freiburg avoided defeat, although it also represented their fourth win from their last eight fixtures on the road.

Team News

Fortuna typically employs a back four, and if they maintain their 4-4-2 setup, it’s likely that Tim Oberdorf and Feliz Meiser will play central roles in defence.

The two central defenders might be supported by a double pivot comprising Marcel Benger and Elias Arden.

As for Freiburg, several changes are anticipated from the team that faced Motherwell, and forwards such as Jan-Niklas Beste, Yuito Suzuki, and Igor Matanovic are likely to be excluded.

Keisuke Goto could potentially be positioned as the visitors’ central striker, while Cyriaque Irie and Lucas Holer may be tasked with assisting the forward.

It is expected that centre-back Philipp Lienhart will come into the starting XI, given that Maximilian Rosenfelder had to leave the field against Motherwell due to injury.

Fortuna Dusseldorf probable starting XI:

Riess; Zimmermann, Oberdorf, Meiser, Van Der Sloot; Paulina, Arden, Benger, Consbruch; Schleusener, Hottmann

Freiburg probable starting XI:

Huth; Kubler, Ginter, Lienhart, Makengo; Tarnutzer, Yamamoto; Irie, Holer, Scherhant; Goto

Freiburg is favored to win this fixture; however, if multiple changes are made in their starting XI, it may take time for them to establish their rhythm in the match.

Fortuna Dusseldorf may find some success against their altered opponents, yet Freiburg’s overall quality should allow them to progress to the subsequent round.