DFB-Pokal holders Stuttgart dey face their toughest test yet for di German cup as dem welcome Freiburg to MHPArena for semi-final showdown on Thursday. Di match na Baden-Swabian derby, and regional supremacy for di Ländle dey at stake, apart from cup final ticket.
Sebastian Hoeness don lead Stuttgart to excellent Bundesliga campaign so far, and e go dey keen to supplement possible Champions League qualification by lifting di cup for back-to-back seasons. For di final of 2024-25 edition, Die Roten beat then-third-tier Arminia Bielefeld 4-2, tanks to goals from Nick Woltemade and Deniz Undav, plus brace from Enzo Millot.
But di holders don dey inconsistent for recent weeks, alternating between victory and defeat over dia last seven matches across all competitions. Dem just lose 4-2 to Bayern Munich on Sunday after thrashing Hamburger SV 4-0 seven days before. To make matter worse, di hosts’ inconsistency don affect dia home form: three wins and three losses at MHPArena since February.
Stuttgart don face Bundesliga clubs for three of dia four DFB-Pokal outings dis season, but di only top-flight side dem meet na Mainz 05 back in October, wey dey relegation-threatened then. Fans fit dey less confident as result.
Meanwhile, Julian Schuster‘s Freiburg dey excellent form ahead of semi-final. Dem don put together run of four consecutive victories, including 2-1 win over Heidenheim on Sunday, courtesy of opener from Johan Manzambi and late winner from Maximilian Eggestein. Success against FCH means Die Breisgau-Brasilianer don win six of dia last seven games across all competitions, only marring dat stretch with narrow 3-2 defeat against Bayern on April 4.
Freiburg fans go dey cautiously optimistic, as dia team don win three away trips on di bounce before semi-final, even though dem lose 1-0 at MHPArena on February 2.
Stuttgart go dey without centre-back Finn Jeltsch as e dey recover from muscle injury, so Jeff Chabot and Ramon Hendriks fit start for defence. Left winger Justin Diehl and 19-year-old wide man Lazar Jovanovic dey sidelined with muscle and back issues, but Jamie Leweling, Chris Fuhrich and Bilal El Khannouss dey available to support Deniz Undav.
For Freiburg, dem dey miss centre-half Max Rosenfelder due to hamstring injury, and Matthias Ginter likely dey join by Bruno Ogbus for defence. Midfielders Daniel-Kofi Kyereh and Patrick Osterhage dey work dia way back from injuries and no go available, so Maximilian Eggestein and Johan Manzambi fit patrol centre of park, supporting Yuito Suzuki.
Stuttgart possible starting lineup: Nubel; Vagnoman, Hendriks, Chabot, Mittelstadt; Karazor, Stiller; Leweling, El Khannouss, Fuhrich; Undav. Freiburg possible starting lineup: Muller; Treu, Ginter, Ogbus, Makengo; Eggestein, Manzambi; Beste, Suzuki, Scherhant; Matanovic.
Because of massive pyro show from home supporters, di semi-final even kick off five minutes late. But di traveling Freiburg fans also deliver right away and back dia colors for fitting style. Di match don start, and both sets of fans dey create electric atmosphere.
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