Preview:Freiburg vs Augsburg - prediction, team news, lineups

SC Freiburg will look to start their 2025-26 Bundesliga campaign on a high when they take on Augsburg on Saturday at the Europa Park Stadium.

The visitors, meanwhile, will look to forget their nightmare ending to the 2024-25 campaign, and they have taken a lurch in the fresh direction under a new manager.

Match preview

Julian Schuster has done an incredible job at Freiburg, resulting in leading German magazine Kicker naming him the Coach of the Year for the 2024-25 season.

The Breisgau-Brasilianer finished fifth in the Bundesliga table last term and will play in the Europa League, which adds an extra excitement to their already fascinating journey.

The summer signings have been well thought of, as five of the six arrivals are within 24 years of age, signifying Schuster's willingness to inject exuberance of youth into the side.

Anthony Jung was signed from Werder Bremen on a free transfer almost immediately after the season ended, emphasising the planning that went behind the moves. The pre-season has been fantastic, as they faced some tough opponents but remained unbeaten throughout.

Their impressive winning streak continued against Sportfreunde Lotte as they prevailed 2-0 away from home in the DFB-Pokal last week, with goals coming from Eren Dinkci and Lucas Holer.

Until mid-January of the 2024-25 season, Augsburg had managed only four victories in the Bundesliga, including a shock 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund.

The Fuggerstadter lost eight matches, and they were teetering close to the relegation zone, only three points above the bottom three.

Back to the wall, the fightback began, and they ended up on an 11-game unbeaten run, creating an outside chance for themselves of making it to Europe. However, winless in their last five games, including four defeats in a row, meant they ended up finishing 12th in the table behind Wolfsburg.

They mainly bolstered their defence this summer by signing Chrislain Matsima from AS Monaco and Cedric Zesiger from Wolfsburg, and also added depth in midfield areas.

It is a new beginning for them under a new manager, Sandro Wagner, who passed the opening test with flying colours after his side earned a 2-0 victory over fourth-tier side Hallescher in the DFB-Pokal clash.

Freiburg form (all competitions):

Augsburg form (all competitions):

Team News

The home side are missing centre-back Max Rosenfelder with a hamstring injury, while right-back Philipp Treu is also currently absent with a shoulder injury.

Igor Matanovic picked up a muscle fibre injury in the German Cup, and the 22-year-old striker will definitely miss the opening game.

Senior defensive midfielder Nicolas Hofler is facing a back problem from the previous game, and the 35-year-old is also likely to be ruled out.

Augsburg’s French playmaker, Alexis Claude-Maurice, is set to miss the opening game after he sustained an ankle injury in the pre-season game against Crystal Palace.

Losing him would be a big blow for Wagner, and the strike partnership of Phillip Tietz and Steve Mounie is likely to continue. Alternatively, summer signing Elias Saad could be used up front.

Elvis Rexhbecaj could miss out with knee problems, while Maximilian Bauer is doubtful after picking up a knock. Samuel Essende is suspended for this game after picking up a red card in the 4-0 defeat against Stuttgart last season.

Freiburg possible starting lineup:

Atubolu; Gunter, Ginter, Lienhart, Kubler; Eggestein, Osterhage; Grifo, Manzambi, Dinkci; Holer

Augsburg possible starting lineup:

Dahmen; Giannoulis, Schlotterbeck, Gouweleeuw, Matsima; Komur, Massengo, Jakic, Wolf; Tietz, Mounie