The visitors are sweeping everyone aside. Paderborn vs Freiburg prediction
Paderborn and Freiburg will meet on Saturday, 5 September, in the second round of the German Bundesliga. The match will be played at Home Deluxe Arena, with kick-off at 15:30 CET. My pick is the winner of the match.
H2H and statistical facts
• Freiburg have already scored 16 goals in four matches this season.
• Paderborn are unbeaten in their last six matches.
• Freiburg have won every game so far this season.
• Paderborn have beaten Freiburg at home just once.
Paderborn return to the Bundesliga after six years
Paderborn spent last season in the 2. Bundesliga, where they achieved their main objective — promotion. The team finished the regular season in third place before successfully navigating the promotion play-off. In their two-legged tie with Wolfsburg, Paderborn drew 0-0 away from home before winning 2-1 in the return fixture to secure their place in the top flight.
Their return to the Bundesliga was relatively calm. On the opening weekend, Paderborn travelled to Mainz and managed to take a point back home after a 0-0 draw. The hosts had more possession and created chances, particularly early in the game, but the newcomers' defence withstood the pressure. Goalkeeper Nahuel Noll deserves special mention for an assured Bundesliga debut, making several important saves to keep his side in the game.
Paderborn had to significantly reshape their squad ahead of the season to meet the demands of Bundesliga football. The team need to improve in virtually every area, but their first game highlighted their main strength — organisation and discipline without the ball. After the goalless draw with Mainz, the hosts will surely look to play more proactively on home soil, as sitting too deep against Freiburg could lead to serious problems.
At the same time, Paderborn head into the home clash with some positive momentum. In addition to the draw with Mainz, the team comfortably progressed through the first round of the German Cup, beating Phönix Lübeck 4-2. As a result, Paderborn have avoided defeat in their last six competitive matches, which should give the newcomers confidence ahead of their meeting with a more experienced opponent.
Freiburg have scored 16 goals in four matches this season
Freiburg, by contrast, have made an extremely convincing start to the campaign. Julian Schuster's side thrashed Werder Bremen 4-1 at home in the opening round. That result alone showed that the visitors are capable of taking the initiative and making the most of their chances. Four goals in their first league match sent an excellent warning to their Bundesliga rivals.
The win over Werder was not Freiburg's only impressive result in recent weeks. In the Conference League qualifying rounds, the German club comfortably defeated Motherwell twice: after a 3-1 away win, they followed it up with a 4-1 victory at home.
Freiburg scored seven goals in that tie alone and demonstrated excellent form ahead of the Bundesliga campaign. It is also worth highlighting their emphatic result in the German Cup, where they thrashed Fortuna Düsseldorf 5-1.
Freiburg currently look like the more prepared team. The visitors have gained valuable match rhythm from their European qualifying games, while their attacking line is in excellent shape. At the same time, the trip to Paderborn may require a little more patience: the hosts are certain to try to stay as compact as possible and look for opportunities on the counter-attack.
Probable line-ups
- Paderborn: Noll, Ter-Horst, Scheller, Hansen, Obermair, Kurda, Ulrich, Castaneda, Vidovic, Pieringer, Marino.
- Freiburg: Backhaus, Makengo, Lienhart, Ginter, Treu, Engelhardt, Eggestein, Beste, Sherchan, Suzuki, Matanovic.
What to bet on?
Paderborn can cause Freiburg problems with their organised defence and home support, but the difference in experience and the teams' current form points towards the visitors. Freiburg have already found their rhythm, are scoring plenty of goals and head into the match on the back of a series of convincing results. Paderborn will probably put up a fight, but over the course of the game the visitors' superior quality should tell. My pick is Freiburg with a 0 handicap.
