Julian Schuster doesn’t mind being spoiled for choice. At the press conference on Friday afternoon before the away game against FC Bayern Munich, the SC coach described the current personnel situation as a “luxury problem”. Manuel Gulde and Maximilian Philipp were absent from training due to back problems, and Michael Gregoritsch is still out with a torn muscle fiber.
Otherwise, the Freiburg coaching team has many options. “We have different possibilities, including when it comes to the basic formation,” said Schuster. He wants to wait until Saturday before he and his teammates decide on a starting eleven. Florian Müller will start in goal. “If everything goes as normal, Noah will be in goal against Bochum,” revealed Schuster.
Several players from the professional squad played for the U23s in the regional league last Sunday. “That doesn’t mean that anyone is further away from the first team,” explained Schuster. “It’s about getting into a certain rhythm.”
Outstanding home record for Munich
The sports club will also need a good rhythm on Sunday for what is perhaps the most difficult away game of the season. Last season, the German record champions won 14 of their 17 home games – with only two defeats.
“Mentally, it will be extremely important to be very stable. There will always be phases in which you are pushed back and the psychological pressure will be high,” said Schuster. 4,000 SC fans will support their team in this task on Sunday evening.
With regard to the opponent, the SC coach did not want to speculate whether the encounter at such an early stage in the season would be good or bad: “With a new coach, things obviously have to get used to first, but regardless of that, the team has great quality. It will be a big challenge that we are looking forward to and that we will accept.”
A tailor-made start
The league opener against VfB Stuttgart created a good atmosphere on Achim-Stocker-Straße, which was also reflected in the quality of training. “We had an intensive week, the boys gave it their all and were really on the edge yesterday, that’s how we want to see it,” said Schuster.
One of the things he liked about the win against VfB was the way they played against the ball. “Even after we were 3-1 up, we didn’t allow many chances. Our aim is to be able to control the game even when we don’t have the ball.”
These phases are likely to occur again and again on Sunday. In addition to the chance of an unexpected success, Schuster also has the chance to set a club record. So far, no SC coach has survived his first two Bundesliga games without defeat.
Marius Faller
Photo: Achim Keller
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