Bicakcic: "This isn't the time to imagine what might be"

Frank Kaspari on…

…the opposition:

Freiburg play a very flexible system and are tactically astute. Christian Streich has made his team unpredictable and he is known to make changes to winning sides. When a team gets on a roll they can beat anyone in the league. Freiburg have showcased that already this year. Our last two matches against Freiburg were spectacular and both teams will be determined to take home the points on Saturday. The game may be open right up until the final whistle. Obviously, we'd be happy to snatch victory at the death, just like we did against Stuttgart.

…the personnel

I'm assuming that Markus Gisdol will be on the touchline on Saturday. He has a cold and the doctor has sent him home for the day. Adam Szalai will be available after recovering from the flu. Tobias Strobl and David Abraham both had knocks but are due to return as well. We'll be missing Steven Zuber though; he's got a cold.

…the current situation:

Winning against Stuttgart undoubtedly released some of the pressure on the team. We didn't start 2015 like we wanted to, but we remained focussed and kept working hard.

Ermin Bicakcic on…

…the opposition:

Freiburg are a team of fighters; they never give up. We'll need to be focussed for the entire match. It's certainly going to be an interesting game.

…the current situation:

On a couple of occasions we made it too easy for our opponents to score in recent matches. The win against VfB did us the world of good. The first three games didn't go the way that we had hoped. As a result of this the three points and the manner in which we won them means our self-confidence has increased. It'll be a tough game against Freiburg, so we're currently focussed on that. We don't look at the table. This isn't the time to imagine what might be.

The statistics:

Freiburg have a slightly better record in this fixtures. The teams have played each other 12 times: SCF have three victories, TSG have two and there have been six draws. The last three games have finished level: 3-3, 1-1 and 3-3. All three games were quite spectacular. There were late goals, high emotions and plenty of drama. 25 goals have been scored in the last five meetings, which just goes to show how exciting the matches have been.

The opponents' form:

Freiburg's performances since the winter break have been a mixed bag. They unleashed an attacking force against Frankfurt, played well but didn't win any points in Gladbach and were really weak at home to Dortmund, before collecting three points in Berlin. So far this year they have picked up six points from four games, however, Streich's side are dogged by injuries. The attack is weakened thanks to the absences of Petersen and Mehmedi. Mitrovic, Kempf, Möller Daehli and Frantz are also sidelined

The key battles:

Freiburg have failed to score in four of their last seven games and they will be without Mehmedi and Petersen this weekend. Nevertheless, SCF are always a threat. Christian Streich's side are dangerous at set pieces: 12 of their last 23 goals have come as a result of dead ball situations. Bicakcic and Co. need to be particularly alert at these moments if they want to keep a clean sheet. TSG are strong in this department too though, having scored 11 goals from set pieces this season. It's possible the derby could be decided by a free kick or corner.

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