St. Pauli against Freiburg: Penalty killer Atubolu and record hunt for Günter!

St. Pauli against Freiburg: Penalty killer Atubolu and record hunt for Günter!

Today FC St. Pauli has an exciting duel against SC Freiburg on the agenda. This opponent not only has interesting players in their ranks, but also brings an impressive record into the game. FC St Pauli reports that former player Igor Matanovič and Philipp Treu will play for Freiburg. Matanovič, who started in the U10 for St. Pauli and also made his professional debut there, has already left his mark at Freiburg, notably scoring two goals in his debut in the derby against Stuttgart. Treu, on the other hand, returned to Freiburg last summer after a successful time in Hamburg. As a right-back, he has won the hearts of fans.

As far as SC Freiburg is concerned, the current season is characterized by a few surprises. Despite a string of draws, leading the league with four draws, the team has some challenges to overcome. In an interesting context: Freiburg scored the fewest goals from play in the league - only five out of eleven goals did not come from dead balls. Interestingly, three of their goals came from penalties, with this tendency being attributed to their threat from set pieces.

Defensive strengths and weaknesses

A notable statistic is the number of fouls: with just 72 fouls, SC Freiburg has the fewest in the league. In addition, the 13 warnings are also the best values ​​in the league. Still, the team is fouled the most, indicating that they are often under pressure.

The goalkeepers have been a crucial factor this season. FC St. Pauli's Nikola Vasilj has already saved six of seven penalties, while Freiburg's Noah Atubolu is drawing attention with a record five penalty saves in a row. Atubolu was even called up for the senior national team, which underlines his current achievements.

A look at the squad

The SC Freiburg squad overview shows impressive performance data, such as Transfer market reported. Freiburg has played a total of 14 games this season and has an average of 1.64 points per game. Christian Günter, the captain, has the opportunity to become the club's record player with his 440th competitive game. Four of the ten players with the most appearances for Freiburg are currently in the squad: In addition to Günter, these are Nicolas Höfler, Vincenzo Grifo and Lucas Höler.

All in all, an exciting game awaits us. St. Pauli will do everything in its power to steal the points from Freiburg, while Julian Schuster's team can rely on its strong squad. Let's see how the game develops - after all, football is unpredictable!

For further insight into the game action and statistical data, also visit the game overview Kicker.