Freiburg vs RB Leipzig

A place in the DFB-Pokal showpiece fixture is up for grabs as Freiburg and RB Leipzig square off at the Europa-Park Stadion in a repeat of last season’s grand final.

Amends for last season’s DFB-Pokal final heartache could be a powerful incentive for Freiburg, who come into this fixture in the midst of a purple patch, having won their last three Bundesliga outings by an aggregate score of 7-1, including a 4-0 demolition of Schalke 04 in their most recent home game. Christian Streich’s men proved their domestic credentials by ousting perennial Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich in the DFB-Pokal semi-finals and consolidating their pursuit of a historic top-four finish in the top-flight with three straight league wins. While it’s been over three hours since Freiburg last conceded a goal, their recent DFB-Pokal history speaks otherwise, with eight of their nine previous matches in the cup competition featuring both teams on the scoresheet.

On the other hand, despite narrowly edging TSG Hoffenheim 1-0 last weekend, Leipzig still must play catch-up on Freiburg in the Bundesliga, with two points separating the sides going into the run-in. And though a fifth consecutive top-four finish hangs by a thread, ‘Die Roten Bullen’ won’t care much if they can land another piece of silverware following last season’s DFB-Pokal success. Marco Rose’s men have excelled in this tournament in 2022/23. After a pair of overwhelming victories over lower-league Teutonia Ottensen and Hamburger SV by an aggregate score of 12-0, Leipzig strolled to multi-goal margin wins over fellow top-flight rivals Hoffenheim and Borussia Dortmund in the last two rounds to maintain their title defense. However, the visitors’ away form cannot inspire much confidence as they’ve lost four of their last five competitive games on the road (W1), averaging a measly 0.6 goals per match.