Freiburg vs Celta de Vigo – News and Probable Lineups

Bundesliga side Freiburg will host La Liga team Celta Vigo at the Europa-Park Stadion for the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final on Thursday.

The aggregate winner from the two matches will advance to meet Braga or Real Betis in the semi-finals.

Match overview

Having progressed to the quarter-finals of the Europa League, Freiburg are optimistic about their chances of capturing their first major trophy come May’s final in Istanbul.

The German team advanced directly to the last 16, finishing among the top eight in the group stage with five victories, two draws, and one defeat across eight encounters.

They turned around a slim 1-0 loss from the first leg against Genk, achieving a remarkable 5-1 win at home to reach the European quarter-finals for the first time in their existence.

The Breisgau-Brasilianer are gearing up to confront Spanish opponents in European play for the first time since being eliminated by Sevilla with a 2-0 aggregate score in the 2013-14 Europa League group stage.

Freiburg will enter Thursday’s first fixture following a disappointing 3-2 loss to Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich, who staged a comeback by scoring twice in stoppage time after being two goals down, resulting in consecutive home defeats for Julian Schuster’s team.

Although they have faced setbacks in their latest two home league games, Freiburg can take encouragement from their perfect record of nine consecutive wins in European matches at the Europa-Park Stadion since a 2-1 defeat to West Ham United in the 2023-24 group stage.

Celta Vigo, for their part, are aiming to join Sevilla, Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Valencia, and Villarreal as the sixth distinct Spanish club to clinch the Europa League/UEFA Cup.

Unlike Freiburg, the Galician team had to navigate through the knockout phase playoffs after finishing in 16th place during the group stage.

Celta defeated PAOK from Greece with a 3-1 aggregate score before overcoming league phase victors Lyon in the round of 16.

After a 1-1 draw at Balaidos, Celta capitalized on Moussa Niakhate’s early red card, securing a 2-0 win in France with goals from Javi Rueda and Ferran Jutgla.

Claudio Giraldez’s squad arrives in Freiburg buoyed by a comeback 3-2 victory in their recent away league match against Valencia, currently placing them sixth, just one point behind Real Betis in fifth, a position potentially leading to Champions League qualification.

As Celta aims for their first Europa League semi-final in nine years, they will look for a positive result on Thursday before next week’s return leg, though this could prove challenging for a club that has lost two out of their last three UEFA matches in Germany (D1).

Team News

Freiburg will be without the injured Max Rosenfelder, while Jordy Makengo and Patrick Osterhage are both uncertain after missing the recent encounter with Bayern.

The medical staff will also assess forward Lucas Holer, who seemed to sustain an injury near the end of Saturday’s loss.

Vincenzo Grifo and Igor Matanovic are expected to return to the starting lineup after being benched over the weekend.

As for Celta Vigo, Miguel Roman is still out due to injury, while Javi Rueda is suspended because of accumulated yellow cards.

There are significant doubts regarding the availability of Carl Starfelt, Mihailo Ristic, Matias Vecino, and club legend Iago Aspas.

Hugo Alvarez may also miss Thursday’s match after being substituted at halftime against Valencia due to an ankle issue.

Freiburg probable starting XI:

Atubolu; Treu, Ginter, Lienhart, Gunter; Eggestein, Sins; Best, Suzuki, Faucet; Matanovic

Celta Vigo probable starting XI:

Radu; RODRIGUEZ, Aidoo, Alonso; Mingueza, Sotelo, Moriba; Career; Lopez, Swedberg, Iglesias

Freiburg have achieved victory in all of their last nine European home encounters, but they will be up against a Celta outfit that has gone unbeaten in their last eight competitive away fixtures.

Given these factors, we believe the visitors will manage to secure a draw in Germany as a result of their efforts.