Freiburg vs Schalke – News and Probable Lineups

Freiburg will aim to maintain their impressive start to the Bundesliga season as they host Schalke 04 on Sunday at Europa-Park Stadion.

The home side, currently sitting in third place, remains unbeaten in the league with 10 points from 12, while their opponents, recently promoted to the top flight, find themselves in 11th place with five points.

Match overview

So far, Freiburg has put together an extraordinary performance in the 2026-27 season, winning six of their seven matches across all competitions, with their only draw being a 2-2 result against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga on September 19.

During this unbeaten run, Freiburg has found the net 24 times, hitting three or more goals on five different occasions.

Head coach Julian Schuster will likely feel slight disappointment that his team could not achieve a third consecutive clean sheet against Frankfurt, though it is worth mentioning that this was the first time this season they conceded two goals in a single match.

There remains a possibility that Freiburg could finish the weekend at the top of the table if Bayern Munich (10) and Borussia Dortmund (12) drop points.

A victory for the Breisgau-Brasilianer would ensure their perfect home record this term, as they have previously defeated Motherwell, Werder Bremen, and Borussia Monchengladbach at home.

Schalke can take pride in their performances thus far in the top division, and holding a two-point cushion over 16th-placed Hamburgo SV in the relegation zone should be seen as a notable accomplishment.

Head coach Miron Muslic may feel that his team could have extracted more from their scoreless draw with Elversberg ahead of the international break, especially since their opponents are expected to be among several relegation contenders.

Despite this, Schalke is now unbeaten in their last three matchups, and although they have drawn twice, they secured a valuable point against Bayern Munich on September 5.

In away encounters this season, Schalke has won two of their three matches, losing once, while scoring a total of eight goals and conceding six.

However, the Royal Blues have not triumphed in their last eight encounters with Freiburg, suffering defeat in six of those fixtures.

Team News

Freiburg’s only confirmed absentee is attacker Florent Muslija, who is expected to be back in December after sustaining a knee injury in April.

The hosts have displayed considerable attacking prowess, so there’s little reason to doubt the selection of Jan-Niklas Beste, Yuito Suzuki, and Derry Scherhant supporting striker Igor Matanovic.

It may be that midfielders Maximilian Eggestein and Yannik Engelhardt are favored over central defenders Matthias Ginter and Philipp Lienhart.

For Schalke, former Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius is anticipated to be protected by centre-backs Timo Becker, Nikola Katic, and Hasan Kurucay.

With striker Emil Hojlund unavailable, Moussa Sylla is the most likely candidate to lead the attack, potentially supported by Kenan Karaman and Adil Aouchiche.

Freiburg probable starting XI:

bakery; Treu, Ginter, Lienhart, Makengo; Eggestein, Engelhardt; Best, Suzuki, Scherhant; Matanovic

Schalke 04 probable starting XI:

Karius; Becker, Katic, Kurucay; Ebimba, El-Faouzi, Tanaka, Gosens; Karaman, Aouchiche; Sylla

While Freiburg may not be entirely solid defensively, they have excelled in the attacking phase.

Schalke is likely to provide a challenge, but it appears difficult to foresee them overcoming their assured hosts, especially with their struggles in the offensive department.