Europa League – Get German Football News https://www.getfootballnewsgermany.com Get German Football News Fri, 03 Oct 2025 09:00:00 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.3 https://www.getfootballnewsgermany.com/assets/GGFNBlackSquare512.png Europa League – Get German Football News https://www.getfootballnewsgermany.com 32 32 Three things we learned from Stuttgart’s defeat in Basel https://www.getfootballnewsgermany.com/2025/three-things-we-learned-from-stuttgarts-defeat-in-basel/ https://www.getfootballnewsgermany.com/2025/three-things-we-learned-from-stuttgarts-defeat-in-basel/#respond Fri, 03 Oct 2025 08:59:48 +0000 https://www.getfootballnewsgermany.com/?p=103957 Stuttgart made the short hop over the border to face Swiss champions Basel in the Europa League. Sebastian Hoeneß’s team were looking to make it two wins from two in this season’s competition, having held on in the dying embers to beat Spanish side Celta Vigo on matchday one. 

Die Schwaben are the second Baden-Württemberg outfit Basel have faced in as many games so far in this competition, with the Swiss side having been beaten 2-1 by Freiburg last time out.

Despite being favourites for this game, Hoeneß’s side got off to a terrible start. Angelo Stiller gave the ball away on the edge of Stuttgart’s own third. He seemed to get away with it, but after recovering the ball, Badredine Bouanani put it on a plate for Albian Ajeti to tuck past Alexander Nübel. 

Ermedin Demirović squandered a golden chance for a leveller. The Bosnia and Herzegovina international found himself unmarked at the edge of the six-yard box but placed his header over the crossbar. 

Demirović would get another chance to level the game with a penalty after Tiago Tomás was fouled in the Basel box. However, thanks to VAR, Demirović was made to wait an age after setting up to take the spot-kick—never ideal for the taker—and Marwin Hitz made saving the Bosnian’s effort look easy. 

Stuttgart huffed and puffed for the majority of the second half with little success. Basel broke away late in the game and Xherdan Shaqiri looped the ball over Alexander Nübel into the net, wrapping up the points for the Swiss side. 

Lack of cohesion

It’s easy to forget that little more than two years ago, Stuttgart found themselves in the relegation play-off against Hamburg. They have achieved so much since: a remarkable second-place finish in the Bundesliga the following season, and a DFB-Pokal win in the last. Yet despite this success, Hoeneß’s team still has a very fresh look. 

With some notable absentees—including Chris Führich, Jeff Chabot, and Atakan Karazor—filling up Stuttgart’s bench in this game, only four players who started against Basel also started the Pokal final in May. 

Desperate football

Basel did very well to limit VfB to very little going forward besides the penalty. Stuttgart grew frustrated throughout the game, resorting to shots from distance and route one balls up to Demirović. 

Stuttgart racked up an astounding 29 attempts, but Hitz stood firm, and their growing desperation was plain to see. 

Hoeneß made a double change on 70 minutes, bringing on Führich and Bilal El Khannouss for a thwarted and tiring Jamie Leweling and Chema Andrés. Neither player would have the desired effect on the game before Shaqiri sealed the win for Basel. 

Post Woltemade Stuttgart

It has been intriguing to watch how Stuttgart have adapted following the sale of Nick Woltemade to Newcastle. The injury to Deniz Undav has undoubtedly not helped either. Demirović has made a decent start to the season, with three goals and an assist in the first five Bundesliga matches. 

However, on nights like this—when the Bosnian wasn’t firing on all cylinders—Stuttgart needed another source of attacking impetus. Despite dominating possession, Leweling was also kept quiet by the resolute Basel backline. Führich fared no better when he was introduced with the score still at 1-0. 

Thankfully for Hoeneß, Undav’s return is in sight. 

GGFN | Harry Good

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Stuttgart rue missed penalty and Xherdan Shaqiri magic after upset Europa League loss https://www.getfootballnewsgermany.com/2025/stuttgart-rue-missed-penalty-and-xherdan-shaqiri-magic-after-upset-europa-league-loss/ https://www.getfootballnewsgermany.com/2025/stuttgart-rue-missed-penalty-and-xherdan-shaqiri-magic-after-upset-europa-league-loss/#respond Thu, 02 Oct 2025 23:51:46 +0000 https://www.getfootballnewsgermany.com/?p=103953 Bundesliga Europa League representatives VfB Stuttgart find themselves engaging in plenty of navel-gazing after what should have been an easy victory away at FC Basel on Thursday night. Chief among those was lead striker Ermedin Demirovic, who has now missed three penalties whilst representing his current club. Demirovic – who famously cost former club SC Freiburg the German cup with a miss against Leipzig in the DFB Pokal Final – was not in a good mood.

Demirovic was among eight Stuttgart professionals who successfully converted penalties in a wild shootout win over Eintracht Braunschweig in the opening round of the Pokal this year, but that doesn’t quite erase the fact that Demirovic missed both of his Bundesliga takes last season. Angelo Stiller has also missed from the spot this year, leaving one wondering who will step forward next time Stuttgart are awarded a penalty. 

The 27-year-old did make reference to the fact that a late VAR of the 33rd-minute awarded penalty broke his concentration. When Demirovic finally did square off against FC Basel keeper Marwin Hitz in the 36th, the former Wolfsburg, Augsburg, and Borussia Dortmund professional came out the winner. 

Of course it’s in total shit now,” Demirovic told RTL. “The [penalty taking] rate is just not good. I don’t want to make excuses, but it was a lousy situation. I thought the [VAR] check was done. That’s why I stood there and took a run-up. I was ready. Then came another check. Today was just a day during which everything went against us.

For his part, VfB head coach Sebastian Hoeneß did praise his team for not giving up in both his post-match interview and the post-match press conference. Hoeneß made cure to credit Hitz with a fine performance. Swiss legend Xherdan Shaqiri also did a fantastic job for the underdogs on the evening and ultimately punished the profligate guests with the 2-0 “nail-in-the-coffin” in the 84th minute.

[My team] pushed through to the very end,” Hoeneß noted at the press conference. “It was an  power play in the second half. At some point, you still have to score. Of course, there’s always the danger of a counterattack on the other side. Shaqiri briefly showed why he was world class striker for a good part of his career.

GGFN | Peter Weis

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Bundesliga Europa League Check | VfB Stuttgart https://www.getfootballnewsgermany.com/2025/bundesliga-europa-league-check-vfb-stuttgart/ https://www.getfootballnewsgermany.com/2025/bundesliga-europa-league-check-vfb-stuttgart/#respond Wed, 01 Oct 2025 21:50:00 +0000 https://www.getfootballnewsgermany.com/?p=103922 In our next European piece involving a Bundesliga club here on Get German Football News, it’s time to assess VfB Stuttgart’s Europa League prospects. Sebastian Hoeneß’ Württemberger – just like the last team we covered – head into their second UEL fixtures winners of three consecutive matches on-the-spin. Stuttgart, like their UEL counterparts Freiburg, got off to a sluggish start this season. An entirely palpable loss to Bayern München in the DFL Supercup was followed up a horribly disconcerting upset defeat to 1. FC Union Berlin on match-day one.

These Swabians were able to rebound with a win against Borussia Mönchengladbach on match-day two, yet were still forced to contend with a lousy news “Doppelpack” entering the final weekend of the transfer window. Newcastle’s poaching of Nick Woltemade and word of Deniz Undav’s injury all occurred within a hectic 24-hour-span. Thankfully, board-member-for-sport Fabian Wohlgemuth, sporting director Christian Gentner, and the rest of the VfB administrative team rose to the occasion in the final days before the deadline.

Though the planned blockbuster “transfer triple pack” didn’t quite materialize, it’s already quite apparent that theCannstatter scored a pair of high-utility North Africans in the form of über-enthusiastic Moroccan Bilal El Khannouss and pacy Algerian winger Badredine Bouanani. Both are already contributing on the score-sheet and off. It appears as if the VfB front office – for the third straight year no less – have rendered the summer departures moot, at least until AFCON 2025 rolls around in January. 

We last checked in with Stuttgart on a detailed level right after that madness that was the DFB Pokal victory over Eintracht Braunschweig. Prior to that, it’s worth noting that the general assessment of this club’s camp was positive. After the Gladbach win, there was another dip against Freiburg. Then came the three straight wins against St. Pauli, Celta Vigo, and 1. FC Köln. As per usual, we’ll cover everything in full detail in the tactics section below. There’s a special bonus look-in on a friendly against SG Sonnenhof Großaspach during the September international break as well. 

Essentially, things look to be largely in order with this club…..

…..except for the wholly unnecessary ditching of the “furchtlos und treu” motto.

Why? Someone needs to explain to the author why this was necessary.

 

VfB Stuttgart UEL Squad

 

Much like last year, those omitted from the European roster make big news. One might as well point out for the “nth” time that Nick Woltemade wasn’t included in Hoeneß’ Champions League roster in the autumn of 2024. The author assumes that everyone knows that fact by now. Let it nevertheless never be forgotten! Eight players from the 32-man league roster have been dropped this time. Silas, Justin Diehl, Ameen Al-Dakhil, Leonidas Stergiou, Pascal Stenzel, and Noah Darvich are all missing.

Goalkeepers:

Bredlow, Nübel

Defenders:

Hendriks, Vagnoman, Mittelstädt, Jaquez, Assignon, Zagadou, Chabot, Groiß, Nothnagel

Midfielders:

Stiller, Führich, El Khannouss, Karazor, Jeltsch, Andrés, Jovanović

Forwards:

Tomás, Leweling, Undav, Bouanani, Kastanaras, Demirović

The Silas news hits Bundesliga enthusiasts head. Most of us happened to rather like how the club stood by the Congo DR international. Diehl and Darvich unfortunately don’t adhere to UEFA’s “homegrown player” regulations. Hence, Thomas Kastanaras (yes, he still exists) is back despite not really featuring for VfB II anymore. Alexander Groiß (27) and Dominik Nothnagel (30) are interesting additions in that – as one can infer from the bracketed ages – the pair aren’t exactly “spring chickens”. 

Nice to see a pair of lower league journeymen get a shot. 

 

VfB Stuttgart Remaining UEL Schedule

 

The manner in which the schedule was finalized does leave Stuttgart with some ill-timed tough away fixtures in November, not to mention a serious challenge down south at the end of a packed January that will see them without some of their AFCON stars. It could prove the case that the Württemberger find themselves left out of the knockouts in this new format for the second straight year. Given that they faced a Champions League field last season, however, one still wants to lend them the benefit of the doubt.

Thursday, October 2nd

FC Basel (A) 21:00

Thursday, October 23rd

Fenerbahçe (A) 18:45

Thursday, November 6th

Feyenoord Rotterdam (H) 21:00

Thursday, November 27th

Go Ahead Eagles Deventer (A) 21:00

Thursday, December 12th

Maccabi Tel Aviv (H) 18:45

Thursday, January 22nd

AS Roma (H) 21:00

Thursday, January 29th

Young Boys Bern (A) 21:00

Racking enough early points before the calendar year turns shall prove essential. At least three victories and two draws are needed. Obviously, the fabulous news that they could be two thirds of the way toward meeting that first metric come sunrise on Friday morning is sure to perk up more than a few Cannstatt citizens. It should work. “Sei furchtlos und treu”…… if indeed that’s still permitted. 

 

Tactics Check, VfB Stuttgart

 

Picking up from where we left off, Hoeneß’ Württemberger went straight from the insane DFB Pokal match into a sleepy Saturday encounter with Gerardo Seoane’s slumping Borussia Mönchengladbach. Only four days after the draining extended penalty shootout, Hoeneß made only two personnel rotations. Josha Vagnoman and Jamie Leweling replaced Lorenz Assignon and Chris Führich as straight swaps in the 4-2-3-1.

With the club celebrating “100 years of the Red Stripe” with fantastic in-stadium, one held onto hopes that the players would draw some energy from the crowd. Initially, there was plenty of pace to the game of both teams. Unfortunately, when Deniz Undav succumbed to injury inside of ten minutes, a still leggy Führich had to come on in relief to play an unrehearsed position.

Lineup—VfB Stuttgart (15th minute)

Hoeneß option to dispense with the idea of having a ten, instead pocketing Führich deep into midfield. A sensible enough conservative play from the VfB trainer. Führich used to play central at Paderborn all the time, but clearly wasn’t ready for this assignment. Gladbach actually steadily took the momentum of the match away from the hosts as BMG sixes Rocco Reitz and Philipp Sander titled the scales ever so steadily in the midfield battles.

When Gladbach continued to ride the wave after the break, Hoeneß staggered with a pair of double substitutions until he had a more attack-minded 4-3-3 back on the pitch. Assignon, Lazar Jovanovic, Chema Andres and Nikolas Nartey relieved Vagnoman, Führich, Atakan Karazor, and Maximilian Mittelstädt. The late constellation produced just enough to lend the team some confidence from open play.

Lineup—VfB Stuttgart (75th minute)

The late 79th-minute 1-0 that took out Gladbach actually came off a short corner. Chema Andres signaled his Bundesliga arrival with a fine finish of a delicate Jamie Leweling cross. Granted, BMG defender Jens Castrop didn’t have much to offer on what should have been an easy marking assignment. In any event, Hoeneß’ Swabians dug out a much-needed win despite only managing 0.84 xG over the course of the entire match. After the international break, it was time for Hoeneß to test drive some of his new deadline day arrivals against Freiburg.

Lineup—VfB Stuttgart (Match Three)

A simple enough 4-2-3-1 as Hoeneß appears to envision it with his new actors in place. After the match, the VfB trainer gave a candid assessment of El Khannoss and Bouanani. The former passed his opening exam with flying colors whilst the latter did little beyond cement his status behind Tiago Tomas on the depth chart. The manner in which Hoeneß reformatted to protect his slender lead ended up not working well at all unfortunately. The late Freiburg goal flurry (covered already in a separate piece) came with this in place:

Lineup—VfB Stuttgart (78th minute)

Whether or not it was supposed to look like this or indeed what earthly purpose a late 3-4-3 of any sort served remains unclear. The Breisgauer hosts were almost invited to slice up the wings. One would have thought that Hoeneß learned something from his opening day loss away at Freiburg last season. Before pummeling the VfB trainer too much, however, one should credit him for learning three vitally important personnel lessons ahead of the next league fixture against FC St. Pauli.

Lineup—VfB Stuttgart (Match Four)

Tomas and Assignon over newbie Bouanani and slumping Vagnoman were obvious enough. Anyone following this team has to admit that Chema Andrés over captain Atakan Karazor really shocked. A bold, yet entirely correct, move. The 20-year-old’s maturity and poise is quite striking. One immediately understands why Real Madrid attached all those buyback and resale clauses. Though Andrés happens to be one of the shier of the new arrivals, he’s increasingly assertive on the pitch.

Another fine performance from the youngster helped Stuttgart get back on track with a 2-0 victory over St. Pauli in the match-day four Friday night curtain raiser. The Cannstatter did well not to let an early penalty miss from Angelo Stiller throw them off course. Demirovic and El Khannouss would eventually score to seal the result. In all honesty, Stuttgart-St. Pauli proved one of the – if not the – least competitive Bundesliga matches of the young season. The outcome was never really in doubt.

Alexander Blessin’s Kiezkickerpredicted to fade – did just that. Chema impressed with several lovely “unlock” through balls. Defensive captain Jeff Chabot, sufficiently recovered from an early season knock, held the back ranks together well. As evidenced by that wild Pokal fixture, Stuttgart just don’t seem right without Chabot running the bow-arcs and audibly directing his teammates. Nübel made the saves he needed to. Tomas, Leweling, and Demirovic all dazzled up front.

All was well heading into the opening Europa League fixture against Celta Vigo. It came as no surprise to see Chema retain his place in the starting XI against Celta Vigo, a team VfB actually beat in the pre-season. Hoeneß’ two personnel changes  ahead of the opening UEL fixture did surprise. Chabot and Tomas made way for Ramon Hendriks and Bouanani in the same 4-2-3-1. For some reason, Chabot never entered the match.

When Finn Jeltsch injured himself, Chabot remained on the bench while Luca Jacquez made his long-awaited return to meaningful action. The Swabian hosts were nearly made to pay after Nübel made a couple of early mistakes. Thankfully, Los Celestes couldn’t capitalize. At the other end, Andrés, Assignon, and Leweling came close to opening the scoring.

Stuttgart finally got the opener when Nübel redeemed himself shortly after the restart. A pre-planned blitz counter saw Nübel register the assist on Bouanani’s 51st-minute 1-0. Bouanani’s fellow new North African arrival El Khannous added the second off a corner in the 68th following a nice one-two with Stiller that also clearly came off the training ground.

Karazor – who relieved the once-again excellent Andrés shortly after the second goal – ended up gifting former Bayer Leverkusen striker Borja Iglesias the 2-1 in the 86th. Hoeneß opted to forgive his captain and hand him a start against overzealous Lukas Kwasniok’s 1. FC Köln at the RheinEnergieStadion on Sunday.

Lineup—VfB Stuttgart (Match Five)

Jaquez re-claimed his old starting role courtesy of the fact that Jeltsch remained out injured. Hendriks – who earned man-of-the-match honors in the Europa League fixture – got a go at the left-back slot he’s occasionally worked in. Fair enough as Maxi Mittelstädt hasn’t been able to take off this season. Overall, there were six changes from the UEL match. Karazor, Chabot, Jaquez, Vagnoman, Tomas, and Führich over Chema, Mittelstädt, Jeltsch, Assignon, Bouanani, and Leweling.

The cathedral city hots exploited all the new actors initially. Tom Krauß, pressing high in midfield, won a crucial ball. Jakub Kaminski eventually netted the 4th-minute 1-0 after the ball found its way to him via Jan Thielmann and Ragnar Ache. There were several nervy moments in the immediate aftermath of the first goal. Nübel had to be on hand to save more shots. When Nübel found himself beaten, Jaquez had to clear an Ache effort off the line.

Stuttgart did settle down a bit, but were only able to equalize thanks to a highly controversial penalty involving Marvin Schwäbe in the 28th. This very soft call enabled Hoeneß’ crew to remain in a match Kwasniok’s Domstädter could have easily run away with. Things got downright choppy for a very long time until Köln substitute (certified German phenomby now) shook both teams out of their torpor with about 25 minutes left.

Not long after Mittelstädt (on as a 61st-minute sub) cleared another Köln effort off the line, Vagnoman slotted home the winner for the guests in the 81st. Admittedly a nice set up from Stiller, but either team could have honestly taken all three points here. A draw would have constituted more than a fair result. So it came to pass that Stuttgart won three straight.

Anything left to mention?

Yes.

Lineup—VfB Stuttgart (September Friendly)

Hoeneß tried out a straight 4-3-3 over the September break in a test fixture at VfB II’s proving ground in Großaspach. Führich got a chance to blow off a little steam with a second half Lupenreiner, mostly thanks to the assistance of Tomas. Not too many midfield lessons to be gleaned as the Bundesliga team mostly switched over overmatched SG Sonnenhof with ease. One still wonders if something like this might work with Chema Andrés, Stiller, and Karazor, Interesting. One can’t really see it as no member of that trio usually plays that high up….yet.

Thursday tip

Stuttgart 3, Basel 1

Well. With the godawful Eintracht Frankfurt tip from earlier this week firmly in mind, one can prognosticate an easy Stuttgart win a little easier when it comes to the southern Swiss neighbors. As noted above, the first away win puts them right where they need to be. After what happened in Belgrade last season, it’s best to act on the assumption that November away fixtures against Fenerbahçe and Go Ahead Eagles might turn out unexpectedly bad. One trusts Hoeneß and crew to take care of business.

GGFN | Peter Weis

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Bundesliga Europa League Check | SC Freiburg https://www.getfootballnewsgermany.com/2025/bundesliga-europa-league-check-sc-freiburg/ https://www.getfootballnewsgermany.com/2025/bundesliga-europa-league-check-sc-freiburg/#respond Tue, 30 Sep 2025 20:24:35 +0000 https://www.getfootballnewsgermany.com/?p=103888 In our next Bundesliga European piece to be released here on Get German Football News, the always-appreciated SC Freiburg receive their day. Some last few day it’s been for Julian Schuster’s Schwarzwaldverein as they prepare to head into their second Europa League fixture. After a rough start to the season (in which Schuster for some inexplicable reason set his squad up all wrong), the Breisgauer currently fire on all cylinders as they prepare to head south to Bologna for their second 2025/26 Europa League match. It’s been far too long since we’ve checked in with the “Super Sport Club” on a detailed level, meaning this one will prove a real treat.

The author is pleased to report that practically all of the recent hype surrounding this club remains fully justified. The players and fans presently stand united in their belief in the journey ahead. While detractors will point out that Sunday’s 1-1 draw with TSG 1899 Hoffenheim proved about as exciting as slow-mo checkers, Schuster’s tactics have proven themselves worthy of high-speed-chess. Schuster’s team held a stable line against their richer and faster north Baden rivals. Sometimes one simply has to grind it out with a low block. It happens.

Assume that Schuster and company conserved their creative spark for a far more entertaining fixture on Thursday.

Having to do without Johan Manzambi against Hoffenheim didn’t help.

 

SC Freiburg UEL Squad

 

All 27 professionals on the SCF squad are technically registered for the competition via the “B-Squad” selection protocols. This extends the to the two players readers will not be surprised to see missing: Congenitally injured German-Ghanian attacker Daniel-Kofi Kyereh and the poor lost soul that is Maximilian Philipp. Neither Kofi-Kyereh nor Philipp have featured in any of the SCF match-day squads this season. Manzambi and young defender Bruno Ogbus were initially on the “B-list”, until the late departures of Michael Gregoritsch and Merlin Röhl allowed for their elevation.

Defenders:

Lienhart, Jung, Kübler, Beste, Ginter, Treu, Günter, Makengo, Rosenfelder, Ogbus, Schopper, Steinmann

Midfielders:

Osterhage, Eggestein, Suzuki, Höfler, Grifo, Manzambi, Tarnutzer

Forwards:

Scherhant, Höler, Dinkçi, Adamu, Irié, Matanović, Amegnaglo

Ogbus – another exciting young Swiss prospect not quite as far along as Manzambi – made three SCF first team appearances last year and registered an assist in the opening round of the Pokal. The 19-year-old has already attracted interest from EPL sides and might well become a more known name in the near future. Young French striker David Amegnaglo has scored 12 goals for SCF II in the Regionalliga Südwest.

Rouven Tarnutzer is an interesting midfield prospect who has earned four starts for the reserves thus far this season. Young defenders David Schopper and Karl Steinmann are regular fixtures for Bernard Weis’ Junioren and also played regularly last year. Record summer signing Philipp Treu – after suffering a separated shoulder in training camp – is back picking up minutes under Schuster for the first team.

 

SC Freiburg Remaining UEL Schedule

 

October and November feature’s two very winnable fixtures, even if Thursday’s encounter constitutes quite the test. Schuster’s team get set to benefit from a much lighter Bundesliga and Europa League schedule in the final two months, meaning simply picking up single points through the autumn months might end up being fully sufficient. The travel schedule also counts as a light burden for this “Border Burg”. Freiburg traditionally perform well whenever taking that quick hop across the French border. 

Thursday, October 2nd

FC Bologna (A) 18:45

Thursday, October 23rd

FC Utrecht (H) 21:00

Thursday, November 6th

OGC Nice (A) 18:45

Thursday, November 27th

Victoria Plzeň (A) 18:45

Thursday, December 11th

RB Salzburg (H) 21:00

Thursday, January 22nd

Maccabi Tel Aviv (H) 18:45

Thursday, January 29th

Lille OSC (A) 21:00

It all comes together nicely for the Badeners and their traveling cohort of fans as they cruise to the knockouts. One sincerely hopes for a better ending than the one delivered by West Ham United in the 2023/24 UEL Round-of-16. German football lovers received quite the double-whammy when, after that elimination, legendary trainer Christian Streich’s words and body language made it clear that he would be leaving us. Schuster looks poised for success in his initial European campaign. One also sincerely hopes that the affable young trainer won’t follow the “Robin Dutt” career trajectory. 

 

Tactics Check, SC Freiburg

 

It seems like eons ago that Schuster had this team set up in a totally impractical manner. Schuster’s obvious mistakes seem to stem from no real logic apart from a possible concern that the more logical formation deployed in the Pokal didn’t deliver the requisite fireworks. For whatever it’s worth, the author did agree at the time and liked his personal recommendation better. Oh well. We got this instead. Ideally, we’ve seen the last of it. 

Lineup—Freiburg (Matches 1-2)

Schuster might have been tempted to simply chalk off the stunning loss against Augsburg on opening day as his team clearly won the xG battle over Sandro Wagner’s FCA, 2.60 to 1.34. In hindsight, most of us probably could have seen that Wagner’s big 1-3 matchday one victory would prove nothing more than an aberration anyway. The three FCA goals came thick and fast in the final 15 minutes of the opening 45. Plenty of propitious bounces for Augsburg and momentary concentration lapses from Freiburg contributed to the result. SCF also saw an early goal disallowed. 

All of that notwithstanding, even the most amateur of tacticians can see what’s wrong with the graphic above. Manzambi at six? Yuito Suzuki at ten? The fact that otherwise reliable actors such as Lucas Höler and Eren Dinkçi opted not to show up early obviously didn’t help. Moreover, Manzambi’s rattling off of some promising late dribbles and Vincenzo Grifo furnishing some of his trademark set-piece artistry likely influenced Schuster’s decision to roll with the exact same XI against Köln the next week.

The 4-2-3-1 largely held its ground against the hosting cathedral city side for the opening half hour, but there were plenty of warning shots from Lukas Kwasniok’s Geißböcke as the half-hour-mark approached. Noah Atubolu bailed his team out on several occasions before Jakub Kaminski gave Köln a well-deserved lead in the 35th. Everything fell apart on that play. Köln striker Marius Bülter was given far too much space on the left. Dinkçi didn’t bother to mark Kaminski in the box at all. 

Shortly after the restart, more atrocious marking in the box enabled Bülter to head home to the 2-0 in the 47th. In full meltdown mode, Schuster’s charges allowed Bülter to all-too-easily set up Jan Thielmann’s 3-0 in the 57th. Atubolu prevented much, much worse before German Wunderkind Said El Mala added the 4-0 in the 81st-minute. Having made at least four superhuman saves between the Thielmann and El Mala tallies, Atubolu just ran out of omnipresent limbs.

A late pullback goal from Maximilian Eggestein meant nothing as the “cathedral city massacre” left Freiburg dead last in the Bundesliga heading into the September international break. Absolutely no one in the back-four – a highly experienced set of veterans – looked like top flight players again the newly promoted side. Schuster simply had to pull the plug on some of these players once the league re-convened.

Lineup—Freiburg (Match Three)

Goals in a 2-0 friendly win over FC Luzern over the September break led to Jan-Niklas Beste and Patrick Osterhage earning starts against Stuttgart. Beste displaced his friend and former Heidenheim teammate Dinkçi, who simply started the season in shockingly lousy form. Osterhage’s selection to serve in midfield (obvious, obvious, obvious) led to Manzambi moving up to the ten slot and we saw the beginnings of this (admittedly hyperbolic) “Wonder-twins” midfield project. We’ll see how long that will last. 

Captain Christian Günter also had to take a seat in favor of the younger and more agile Jordy Makengo. At least the collective defending from the back-four improved considerably. Apart from that, watching two 4-2-3-1s square off in Breisgau proved quite the hard watch. A memorable moment of magic from VfB strike Ermedin Demirovic added a small dose of sparkle to an absolute stinker. Demirovic’s 20th-minute back-heel gave Stuttgart the 0-1 lead. Freiburg couldn’t muster up a response of any sort. 

To their credit, the hosts woke up after the break. Kübler and Manzambi executed some useful incursions into the penalty area. Schuster left his original XI on the pitch until the 63rd, when he brought Derry Scherhant on for Grifo. Igor Matanovic relieved Höler in the 78th. The seeds of the magnificent story of the Stuttgart match’s finish were planted. All Germans found themselves keen to talk about Freiburg come Monday morning. At long last, the Breisgauer flexed muscle added during their highly successful summer transfer window. 

Lineup—Freiburg (80th minute)

Matanovic polished off a Lukas Kübler cross for the 1-1 in the 81st. Scherhant benefited from a fine set-up from Manzambi to net the 2-1 in the 86th. Matanovic received the chance to ice off the Schwarzwaldkuchen with a penalty conversion on the 3-1 at 90+2. A perfect “turnaround tale” written by two marquee summer transfers: Scherhant and Matanovic. These are the tales of all tales, the moments of all moments. From this point forward, one knew that Freiburg’s season was off-and-running. They took out a surging team on match-day four.

Next week against Werder Bremen, Schuster compensated for the loss of Manzambi by starting Junior Adamu atop the 4-2-3-1 whilst Höler slid back into the ten slot. Beste, Osterhage, and Makengo retained their starting places. This would be the match that produced Atubolu’s penalty save record. It also produced some of Adamu’s on-brand poor finishing until the notoriously “iffy Austrian” finally got the 2-0 over the line in the 54th. Scherhant featured again off the bench and forced an own-goal off SVW defender Karim Coulibaly on the 3-0 in the 75th. 

The center-back pairing of Matthias Ginter and Philipp Lienhart produced by far their strongest match to date. Makengo – save the handball penalty that Atubolu’s save cancelled out – actually delivered the best match the author can recall offhand. In his first meaningful shift since rejoining the Sport Club this summer, Treu looked very good off the bench. Interestingly enough, Schuster had Treu relieve Beste directly on the right wing. Treu and Kübler worked in tandem on both sides off the ball very well. 

Freiburg headed home with confidence to face Basel. 

Three personnel changes and a might tighter 4-2-3-1.

Lineup—Freiburg (UEL)

A wave of illness sweeping the SCF camp meant that neither Lienhart nor Höler could partake. Up front, that posed no problem as Manzambi’s suspension didn’t apply to the European campaign. Freiburg’s famed “Manuel Gulde replacement” Manuel Gulde took over for Lienhart alongside Ginter. Schuster put the skipper back in by opting for Günter over Makengo on the left. All of this performed serviceable enough, with Atubolu ensuring that the slight advantages the Swiss guests retained early wouldn’t result in Basel taking the lead. 

Osterhage – making his Europa League debut – calmly put away a failed clearance of a Manzambi effort in the 31st. Atubolu made a huge save at the end of the opening 45 to ensure Basel couldn’t restore parity. The second half of the famed “twin pairing”, Eggestein, snatched the 2-0 off a Grifo cross in the 56th. Eggestein could have well grabbed a brace a little later were it not for an amazing save from Basel keeper Mirko Salvi. Instead, it would be the guests with a late pullback goal. Freiburg held on for a 2-1 win. 

The formation remained fairly tight throughout, with Matanovic, Scherhant, and Makengo working on straight swaps late. Treu once again got his turn as an advanced right winger ahead of Kübler in relief of Beste. It was back to the wider 4-2-3-1 against Hoffenheim. Two personnel changes saw Dinkçi return to the starting blocks in order to take over for the still suspended Manzambi. Makengo also once again got the nod over Günter. 

Lineup—Freiburg (Match Five)

With Lienhart still stricken, Jung maintained his place in central defense. Höler recovered only enough to start on the bench. The experiment of Dinkçi working as a ten (something that didn’t actually work out all that well in Heidenheim) at least gave Dinkçi the chance to work alongside Beste again. Excitement was quickly tempered by the fact that this pairing (and indeed not much else) worked out on Sunday. Kübler was in the right place at the right time to stuff home the 1-0 in the third.

That was about all from hosts, who did have to compensate for Kübler’s loss to a concussion shortly before the first half was out. Hoffenheim’s Fisnik Asllani equalized about ten minutes later and the match settled into a midfield stalemate. The collision between Kübler and TSG defender Bernardo (27th) severely undercut the flow of the affair. Schuster’s men managed only a paltry 0.28 xG after the early opening goal. On a tight turnaround from the UEL affair, Freiburg often looked too tired to press. 

Hoffenheim proved much more adept at breaking the lines and finished with a full-time xG of 2.54. Atubolu made a few excellent saves near the end. Treu’s turn at right back proved fairly average. Jung dipped heavily as the game progressed as his 33-year-old legs deadened. Grifo, Beste, and Grifo lacked conviction and ideas beyond the middle third. Matanovic and Scherhant were better in relief, though not by much. “UEL Sandwich” matches like this one simply happen at times. 

Thursday tip:

Freiburg 2, Bologna 2

Schuster could try a few more things later in matches, such as yanking Grifo if the Germano-Italian simply doesn’t have it on the day. That would enable Beste to switch over to his natural left-hand-side and perhaps revive some of his old muscle memory opposite Dinkçi. Scherhant can always work central behind Matanovic or even aside him as part of a later re-format. The highly touted midfield pairing, not to mention the defense as a whole, did a magnificent job in individual duels against the TSG and can likely be relied upon to keep matters close until the SCF trainer can get fresh legs on. 

With Manzambi (eligible) and Höler (recovered) returning to the XI, the author feels absolutely comfortable tipping an upset for the German club. These Schwarzwälder enter on the march and should be able to run with the four-time UEFA Cup winners. Not really shifting a basic 4-2-3-1 brings with it tremendous advantages. The actors know their roles and all have some experience working them at this point. The Italians will obviously try to hit Treu’s side early and often. This could lead to a goal or two. No matter. Atubolu prevents worse and the attackers find a way to hit back.

GGFN | Peter Weis

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Freiburg captain Christian Günter speaks on overcoming adversity and new team slogan https://www.getfootballnewsgermany.com/2025/freiburg-captain-christian-gunter-speaks-on-overcoming-adversity-and-new-team-slogan/ https://www.getfootballnewsgermany.com/2025/freiburg-captain-christian-gunter-speaks-on-overcoming-adversity-and-new-team-slogan/#respond Thu, 25 Sep 2025 17:47:20 +0000 https://www.getfootballnewsgermany.com/?p=103590 SC Freiburg are once again flying high after victory in last night’s Europa League opener send them into the Bundesliga weekend winners in three matches on-the-trot. After losing their first two league fixtures of the young campaign, matters appeared quite different just a couple of weeks ago. Fortunately for the Breisgauer, the team opted to grab onto the momentum picked up from a dramatic late comeback win over Stuttgart and never look back.

The energy gleaned from last weekend’s 0-3 away win over Werder Bremen carried over into Wednesday’s home UEL fixture. The midfield double-six tandem of Maximilian Eggestein and Patrick Osterhage performed especially well. Both players scored in the 2-1 victory over FC Basel. Off the scoresheet, the intangibles the duo brought to the game were almost immeasurable.

Time and again, Eggestein and Osterhage fired up the home crowd with robust midfield ball wins and courageous sprints forward. Osterhage – who also earned man-of-the-match honors – didn’t hesitate to put the hosts up 1-0 when a clearance landed at his feet in the 31st. Eggestein headed home what would prove the match-winner in the 56th.

Squad captain Christian Günter praised the duo specifically while speaking in the mixed zone last night. The 32-year-old eight-times-capped German international also spoke on the celebratory T-shirts donned by the Freiburg players as they faced the FanKurve last night.

Freiburg supporters printed up “Kein Weg zu weit” (“No journey too far“) tops for their slumping team over the September international break. Vincenzo Grifo received the shirts and distributed them to his teammates.

Yeah, the twins!” Günter said to a chorus of chuckles when asked about Osterhage and Eggestein. “In all seriousness, I have to say that those two work incredibly hard for the team. They’ve absolutely earned it. Eggestein had plenty of chances last year [to score], but the ball just wouldn’t go in. That’s absolutely great that those two scored goals.”

That’s what distinguishes us,” Günter said of the team’s new motto. “Working together as a team to go the extra mile for each other. The fans do that for us too. That’s something for us to latch onto because I think we’re very, very good as a team. Ultimately, you can learn from defeats, and that’s what we did. That saying sums up quite well why we’re playing in the Europa League this year.

We analyzed what we need to bring to the pitch,” Günter said of the team’s recent turnaround. “We worked on that as a team. We worked very hard on that during the international break and also the week after. It’s great that it’s producing results right away. Sometimes you have to go through some adversity first.

GGFN | Peter Weis

 

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PREVIEW | VfB Stuttgart vs Celta Vigo: Sebastian Hoeneß ready for tough battle https://www.getfootballnewsgermany.com/2025/preview-stuttgart-celta-vigo/ https://www.getfootballnewsgermany.com/2025/preview-stuttgart-celta-vigo/#respond Wed, 24 Sep 2025 19:08:04 +0000 https://www.getfootballnewsgermany.com/?p=103532 After lifting the DFB Pokal in the 2024/25 season, VfB Stuttgart qualified for the Europa League which is the first time they’ve played in back-to-back European competitions since 2012-2014.

Their participation in the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League – despite their elimination in the league phase – certainly won’t be a forgotten memory, but a cherished one as Sebastian Hoeneß leads VfB into a new era, one in which they can challenge for European football. While Stuttgart’s head coach is relishing another season in Europe, it’s one that he and his team won’t take for granted.

Speaking in Wednesday’s press conference, Hoeneß said: “Being able to play internationally is the icing on the cake. That can never, and must never, become the norm.” And there’s few better places in football than playing under the floodlights at the Neckarstadion on a European night.

On Thursday night, they host La Liga side Celta Vigo, which certainly won’t be an easy task. The two faced each other in pre-season with Stuttgart 2-1 victors. Hoeneß expects another tough game, with their previous meeting a feisty one despite being a friendly.

“Why should it be any different this time? Back then, it was just a friendly. Tomorrow it’s much more important,” said Hoeneß, who also remained tight-lipped on his selection.

Atakan Karazor missed Stuttgart’s 2-0 win against St. Pauli on Matchday 4 of the Bundesliga, and it could be Chema Andrés who starts alongside Angelo Stiller again after impressing. Hoeneß also had time to praise Ermedin Demirovic – who scored one goal and provided an assist at the weekend – saying: “His performance was top-notch.”

VfB Stuttgart vs Celta Vigo Predicted Line-Ups

Stuttgart: Nübel – Assignon, Jeltsch, Chabot, Mittelstädt – Chema, Stiller – Tomás, El Khannouss, Leweling – Demirović

Celta Vigo: Radu – Rodríguez, Dominguez, Alonso – Rueda, Moriba, Sotelo, Mingueza – Aspas (c), Iglesias, Zaragoza

GGFN | Daniel Pinder

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‘Icing on the cake’ – Hoeneß on Stuttgart’s participation in European football https://www.getfootballnewsgermany.com/2025/icing-on-the-cake-hoenes-on-stuttgarts-participation-in-european-football/ https://www.getfootballnewsgermany.com/2025/icing-on-the-cake-hoenes-on-stuttgarts-participation-in-european-football/#respond Wed, 24 Sep 2025 15:41:34 +0000 https://www.getfootballnewsgermany.com/?p=103506 Stuttgart kickstart their Europa League campaign against Celta Vigo at the MHP Arena on Thursday night. It’s the first time VfB have played back-to-back seasons in a European competition since 2012-2014.

The two teams met in pre-season, which proved to be an intense affair, and Stuttgart head coach Sebastian Hoeneß expects a similar match.

Speaking in Wednesday’s press conference, Hoeneß said: “Why should it be any different this time? Back then, it was just a friendly. Tomorrow it’s much more important.

“A floodlit game, 60,000 fans – everyone knows what that does to Stuttgart.”

Last year, Stuttgart played in the Champions League, but Hoeneß expects VfB’s fans to be as raucous as ever, reiterating that their involvement in a European competition shouldn’t be taken for granted: “Being able to play internationally is the icing on the cake. That can never, and must never, become the norm.”

Does Atakan Karazor return for Stuttgart?

Against St. Pauli in Matchday 4 of the Bundesliga, Hoeneß opted to start Chema Andrés alongside Angelo Stiller in midfield ahead of club captain Atakan Karazor.

When asked whether or not Kazaror would return to the starting line-up, Hoeneß remained tight-lipped: “I won’t comment on the starting line-up. We’ll see tomorrow.”

GGFN | Daniel Pinder

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PREVIEW | Freiburg vs FC Basel: International derby awaits SCF https://www.getfootballnewsgermany.com/2025/preview-freiburg-vs-basel/ https://www.getfootballnewsgermany.com/2025/preview-freiburg-vs-basel/#respond Tue, 23 Sep 2025 20:48:55 +0000 https://www.getfootballnewsgermany.com/?p=103475 After a one year absence, Freiburg return to Europa League action on Wednesday night. FC Basel are the visitors to the Europa-Park Stadion, making the 73km journey across the Swiss-German border. As such, SCF head coach Julian Schuster dubbed the game an “international derby” once the draw had been made.

After a difficult start to their 2025/26 campaign with successive defeats in the Bundesliga against Augsburg and Köln, Freiburg will come into this game full of confidence after wins against Stuttgart (3-1) and Werder Bremen (3-0) in their last two league games.

Speaking ahead of Freiburg’s clash against Basel, Schuster relished their opening Europa League game: “For me, it’s a derby. Just because of how close the two clubs are. For all the Swiss fans as well, it’s not a long journey. Everything points towards an exciting occasion and I’m really looking forward to it all.”

Schuster also commented on Freiburg’s improved form following their defeat against Köln prior to the international break, adding: “The international break came at the right time and we made sure to use it wisely and to work hard.”

SCF’s head coach also remained tight-lipped on how his side will line up, but stated that everyone is available: “It’s good that everyone is fit and well rested after the game in Bremen. The decision making process in a number of positions is more nuanced.”

One player that Basel will need to keep an eye on is Vincenzo Grifo. Freiburg’s attacking-midfielder was named in Get German Football News’ Team of the Week after scoring a goal and providing an assist against Werder Bremen at the weekend. The 32-year-old scored eight goals and created 11 in the Bundesliga last season, and has started the current campaign in strong fashion.

Noah Atubolu’s development has also been impressive. The German youth international replaced Mark Flekken as the club’s No. 1 goalkeeper in 2023 and after an excellent campaign last season, has already broken a Bundesliga record this season after saving five successive penalties. It’s only a matter of time before the 23-year-old is called up to the full German national team, and Julian Nagelsmann and his coaching staff will be sure to have a close eye on Freiburg’s stopper in European competition.

Xherdan Shaqiri: “We don’t have to hide”

Speaking to Kicker ahead of Basel’s cross-border clash with Freiburg, former Bayern Munich and Liverpool attacker discussed the Bundesliga club.

“If you grow up in the Basel region, you’ll naturally be familiar with Freiburg,” said Shaqiri. “In recent years, Freiburg has established itself in German football, and these days it can aim for more in the top division, which is a fantastic development.”

Unlike Schuster, Shaqiri believes it’s more of a friendly atmosphere between the two clubs. “I think we can call it a game between friends,” added the 33-year-old. “Basel and southern Germany are very closely connected, many Basel residents also go to Freiburg to watch games or even have season tickets for Freiburg. I’m definitely looking forward to the match.”

When asked about which team is bigger, Shaqiri remained neutral: “In my opinion, it will be a match on equal terms. Sure, Freiburg play in a much stronger league in the Bundesliga than the Super League, but we don’t have to hide.”

Basel lifted the Swiss Super League last season for the first time since 2017 but missed out on Champions League football after losing to Copenhagen, dropping them into the Europa League but they come into this game in relatively good form with four wins in six league games.

SC Freiburg vs FC Basel Predicted Line-Ups

Freiburg: Atubolu – Kübler, Ginter, Lienhart, Makengo – Eggestein, Osterhage – Beste, Manzambi, Grifo – Höler

Basel: Hitz – Tsunemoto, Barisic, Adjetey, Schmid – Metinho, Leroy – Salah, Shaqiri, Otele – Ajeti

GGFN | Daniel Pinder

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Official | Stuttgart and Freiburg learn Europa League opponents https://www.getfootballnewsgermany.com/2025/official-stuttgart-and-freiburg-learn-europa-league-opponents/ https://www.getfootballnewsgermany.com/2025/official-stuttgart-and-freiburg-learn-europa-league-opponents/#respond Fri, 29 Aug 2025 12:04:19 +0000 https://www.getfootballnewsgermany.com/?p=102069 Bundesliga Europa League representatives VfB Stuttgart and SC Freiburg have learned their Europa League opponents.  In the league phase, each team will face eight opponents, four at home and four away.

The first match day will take place on September 24-25. The league phase continues until the end of January 2026. This will be followed by play-offs and knockout rounds. The Final is scheduled May 20, 2026, in Istanbul.

Precise dates and kickoff times are yet to be determined. 

Bundesliga Europa League Draw

SC Freiburg:

FC Red Bull Salzburg (H), Lille OSC (A), Maccabi Tel Aviv (H), Viktoria Plzeň (A), FC Basel (H), OGC Nice (A), FC Utrecht (H), Bologna FC (A).

VfB Stuttgart:

Feyenoord Rotterdam (H), AS Roma (A), Maccabi Tel Aviv (H), Fenerbahçe SK (A), Young Boys Bern (H), FC Basel (A), Celta Vigo (H), Go Ahead Eagles Deventer (A).

Analysis:

Unlike in yesterday’s Champions League draw, it appears as if both Bundesliga clubs have emerged winners here. The two German clubs receive the opportunity to get off on the right foot with home fixtures against beatable opponents. Neither team must traverse an especially “rough patch” of fixtures that threaten to de-rail their campaign.

Stuttgart’s final three fixtures do pit the Swabians against the Swiss champions and the Dutch cup winners as the group phase draws to a close. Freiburg must also face Basel in-between a tough away match against Czech runners up Viktoria Plzen and Ligue 1’s OGC Nice. The final two SCF fixtures nevertheless enable the Breisgauer a chance to catch up points-wise. 

GGFN | Peter Weis

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Tottenham win race with Chelsea to sign Xavi Simons https://www.getfootballnewsgermany.com/2025/tottenham-win-race-with-chelsea-to-sign-xavi-simons/ https://www.getfootballnewsgermany.com/2025/tottenham-win-race-with-chelsea-to-sign-xavi-simons/#respond Fri, 29 Aug 2025 09:38:16 +0000 https://www.getfootballnewsgermany.com/?p=102043 Netherlands international Xavi Simons has completed a transfer from RB Leipzig to Tottenham, according to Sky Sports and Florian Plettenberg.

There has been ongoing speculation about Xavi’s future since the transfer window opened, with interest across Europe. 

However, Premier League side, Tottenham Hotspur entered the race yesterday and have moved quickly to finalise a deal.

Tottenham usurp Premier League rivals, Chelsea who, although never formally submitting an offer, had begun discussions with Xavi. 

Xavi Simons travels to London today having already completed his medical and will signed a contract until 2032.

The full transfer package with RB Leipzig that has been reached is €60m (£52m) plus a sell-on clause.

Xavi spent just over two seasons with RB Leipzig, since transferring from PSV Eindhoven and Paris St Germain, having come through the Barcelona youth system.

The attacking midfielder went on to make over 70 appearances in Germany, scoring 20 goals and providing over 20 assists.

He becomes Tottenham’s third attacking signing of the summer, joining Mathys Tel from Bayern Munich, and Mohammed Kudus from West Ham.

The move will be a big loss to RB Leipzig who were punished 6-0 by Bayern Munich on the opening day of the Bundesliga season.

They will be without Simons as they welcome Heidenheim tomorrow, looking to launch their league season with a much-needed victory.

GGFN | Oscar O’Mara

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