Will Freiburg establish itself among the top teams in the EL?
With four points from two games, SC Freiburg has made a decent start to the Europa League group stage. At home against the Dutch representatives from Utrecht, the next three points are now firmly in the plan. The visitors from the cathedral city are still waiting to pick up their first point at international level.
Both in their opening home game against Olympique Lyon and away at Brann Bergen, coach Ron Jans’ team lost 0-1. In total, the surprise fourth-placed team in last season’s Eredivisie has now gone 13 (!) consecutive European Cup games without a win. However, my prediction of a Freiburg win ahead of the match against Utrecht is not only based on the weakness of the opponent, but also on the home strength of the Sport-Club.
On the one hand, coach Julian Schuster’s team has remained undefeated in four consecutive home games (2-2-0) since their absolutely avoidable home defeat against Augsburg (1-3) at the start of the Bundesliga season. On the other hand, looking back at their last five home games in the Europa League, the southern Germans celebrated five wins with 16 goals scored and three clean sheets! Ginter and Co. also made a solid impression in their dress rehearsal against Eintracht Frankfurt (2-2) at the weekend, especially in the second half.
The Bundesliga club therefore gives me a good feeling, which I am also taking into account with the Freiburg vs. prediction on the Asian handicap (-1.25). If the home side wins by at least two goals, the odds of 2.15 in the Bet365 app will come through.
To make matters worse for the visitors, they haven’t had much success away from home so far. In the Dutch top flight, they have only managed one win in four away games. Overall, the eighth-placed team has suffered five defeats in its last seven competitive games. Four times, the offense led by former BVB striker Sebastien Haller, who is still waiting for his first goal for his new employer, failed to score.
This is one more reason to check the odds for the underdog remaining scoreless in Breisgau, in addition to the win bet between Freiburg and Utrecht. Betano is offering odds of 1.47 for a goalless first half for the Red and Whites.
Freiburg – Utrecht Head-to-head record
This is the first time ever that SC Freiburg and FC Utrecht have faced each other in a competitive match. The Sport-Club has never defeated an opponent from its neighboring country in European competition, but there have only been two attempts, both of which took place over 20 years ago in the 2002/03 UEFA Cup season. At that time, the Breisgauers lost narrowly 2-3 to Feyenoord after two legs. Utrecht’s last match against a German representative, however, was 45 years ago. The head-to-head record therefore has no relevance or influence on Thursday’s Freiburg vs. Utrecht betting odds.
Freiburg – Utrecht Tip
With a home win against FC Utrecht, SC Freiburg is keen to build on its good start to the Europa League group stage and move up to seven points. After its opening win against FC Basel (2-1) and a respectable draw in Bologna (1-1), the Sport-Club has definitely earned its role as favorite for the home game against last year’s Eredivisie fourth-place team.
This is especially true given that the Dutch side suffered defeats on the first two matchdays and failed to score on both occasions. In fact, Jans’ team has lost five of its last seven competitive games.
Furthermore, it must be taken into account that coach Julian Schuster’s team is strong at home and should also have the edge in terms of quality. Accordingly, in my opinion, there is virtually no alternative but to bet on a home win between Freiburg and Utrecht.
