Does Sport-Club give their coach a gift at home?
SC Freiburg can already push the door wide open towards the knockout phase on Thursday evening. With the Breisgau side having won each of their first two matches, another win against FC Nantes could see their lead over third place in the group grow to six points with three games to go.
The German-licensed bookmakers have no great doubts that a prediction for a home win in the match between Freiburg and Nantes will come true. On the three-way market, the odds on a victory for the Streich team are currently 1.60. The probability of occurrence can therefore be assessed at over 60%.
This quite clear assessment is due, among other things, to the fact that Sport-Club is currently in an extremely strong condition. At the same time, however, the question must be allowed as to how great the resistance of the reigning French Cup winners will be. The Canaries recently lost 3-0 in Azerbaijan to Qarabag Agdam. The task in the south of Germany is definitely not going to be any easier.
Freiburg – Statistics & current form
Christian Streich will not be taking his place on the SC Freiburg bench on Thursday evening. One day before the Europa League match against FC Nantes, the coach of the Breisgau club tested positive, so he will probably not be able to coach his team from the sidelines in the Bundesliga next weekend either.
However, because the Sport-Club seems to be very stable at the moment and defies all upcoming opposition, the absence of the cult coach in the clash between Freiburg and Nantes should not affect our tip. The Black Forest side have not lost a competitive match since 12 August.
The SCF has already gone eight matches without defeat. Six wins and two draws in that period underline the Breisgau side’s impressive form, which has seen them win as many as eight of their last eleven matches.
Freiburg want to continue riding the wave of success
While last year’s sixth-placed team in the Bundesliga has now climbed to second place following the weekend’s 2-1 win over Mainz, their start to the Europa League group stage can also be described as a success. Vincenzo Grifo and Co. scored two deserved victories at home against Qarabag Agdam (2-1) and at Olympiakos Piraeus (3-0), leaving them alone at the top of the group. There are many indications that the cup finalists will spend the winter in the second most important club competition in Europe.
We also see the likeable club from the south of the republic in pole position for Thursday’s encounter. Given their outstanding form, which inevitably goes hand in hand with an extremely high level of self-confidence, as well as their qualitative advantages and the home bonus, our preferred betting option between Freiburg and Nantes is a home win.
It is also conceivable that the Bundesliga team will once again win without conceding a goal, as six of the eleven compulsory matches played so far in the league, in the cup and on the international stage have seen a defensive zero. For a corresponding bet on the home victory including clean sheet, a 2.40 can be dusted off at BildBet. Höler, Sallai, Ezekwem and Siquet are out. Rotation-related changes in personnel cannot be ruled out in the first of many English weeks to follow.
Predicted line-up of Freiburg:
Flekken; Kübler, Ginter, Lienhart, Günter; Keitel, Höfler; Schade, Woo-Yeong, Grifo; Petersen
Last matches played by Freiburg:
Europa League Grp. G
07/10/2022 – SC Freiburg 2 – 0 Nantes
Bundesliga
01/10/2022 – SC Freiburg 2 – 1 Mainz 05
19/09/2022 – Hoffenheim 0 – 0 SC Freiburg
Europa League Grp. G
15/09/2022 – Olympiakos Piraeus 0 – 3 SC Freiburg
Bundesliga
11/09/2022 – SC Freiburg 0 – 0 Gladbach
Nantes – Statistics & current form
Fc Nantes were certainly one of those teams that played above their expectations in the past Ligue 1 season. Ninth place in the final standings was a satisfactory result. Even more pleasing, however, was the sensational cup victory that got the West French side into this Europa League group stage in the first place.
The performances on the first two EL match days could hardly have been more different. First, an important 2-1 win against Olympiakos Piraeus was celebrated in front of a home crowd. But instead of following up with a win at underdog Qarabag Agdam, coach Antoine Kombouaré’s side suffered a surprisingly heavy 3-0 defeat in Azerbaijan, revealing some worrying weaknesses in the process.
Nantes don’t get much going away from home
Generally, it should be stated that the port cities are nowhere near as strong away as they are at home. This is also underlined by the results in the league so far. In five matches at national level, only two meagre points have been collected. Ten goals conceded are further evidence of the team’s defensive vulnerability, which puts them in second-to-last place in the separate away rankings and hardly inspires fear in the Sport-Club.
At the latest after taking into account the weak results in opposing stadiums, it should be clear why one should refrain from predicting a coup for the visitors in the duel between Freiburg and Nantes.
This is also backed up by the 4-1 defeat in the dress rehearsal at AS Monaco at the weekend. Kombouaré’s side have lost three of their last four competitive matches, last scored three times at the beginning of September and have only come out on top in two of their eleven attempts in the entire 2022/23 season. Fabio da Silva and Fabien Centonze are out through injury.
With the exception of midfielder Sissoko, there are hardly any big-name players in the Canaries’ line-up anyway, who famously had to sell their most important player from the previous season, Randal Kolo Muani, to Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer.
Predicted line-up of Nantes:
Lafont; Appiah, Castelleto, Girotto, Pallois, Merlin; Guessand, Sissoko, Chirivella, Simon; Blas
Last matches played by Nantes:
Europa League Grp. G
07/10/2022 – SC Freiburg 2 – 0 Nantes
Ligue 1
02/10/2022 – AS Monaco 4 – 1 Nantes
18/09/2022 – Nantes 0 – 0 Lens
Europa League Grp. G
15/09/2022 – Qarabag FK 3 – 0 Nantes
Ligue 1
11/09/2022 – Lorient 3 – 2 Nantes
Freiburg – Nantes Direct comparison / H2H balance
For the first time, these two clubs will meet at European Cup level. For SC Freiburg, who quite like to test against the neighbouring border club Racing Strasbourg, it is even the first official match in international competition against a French team. The visitors have a little more experience in this respect, but in four matches against Bayern and Leverkusen (two each) they have lost three times and have never won.
Freiburg – Nantes tip
There is a great opportunity for the Sport-Club on Thursday evening. Should the bet on a home win pay off in the clash between Freiburg and Nantes, the Breisgauer would not only defend their top spot in Group G, but also increase their own account to nine points. An elimination after the group stage would thus become a distant prospect.
Admittedly, there is every reason to believe that the home side, who will be without their head coach Christian Streich, who has tested positive, will win their third match in the preliminary round. In terms of form and individual quality, the Black Forest side has a clear advantage. The SCF have not lost any of their last eight competitive matches. Eight of the last eleven competitive matches have even been won.
In addition, the Canaries are an opponent who has not yet managed to get much going away from home this season. In Ligue 1, there have been a meagre two points to celebrate in five away games. The Europa League match in Azerbaijan against Qarabag was even lost 3-0.
Consequently, we offer odds of 1.60 on a home win between Freiburg and Nantes with a confident stake of seven units.
