Hosts Holstein Kiel could be relegated from the Bundesliga if they lose against Champions League hopefuls Freiburg on Saturday at Holstein-Stadion.
The home side are second last in 17th place with 25 points and will be relegated if they lose and Heidenheim beat Union Berlin on the weekend, while Freiburg are fourth with 52 points following their 2-2 draw with Bayer Leverkusen on May 4.
Match preview
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Holstein Kiel emerged as 3-1 victors against Augsburg last Sunday – taking a three-goal lead by the 51st minute – but they were fortunate to only concede once given they faced over three expected goals and four big chances.
Having found the back of the net seven times in their last two games, the club have scored as many in that period as they managed in their prior seven outings.
Boss Marcel Rapp's team are one point from 16th-placed Heidenheim, who occupy the league's relegation playoff spot, but 15th-placed Hoffenheim are realistically out of reach given they boast a six-point advantage as well as significantly better goal difference.
The Storks come into the clash on the back of two consecutive victories and are unbeaten in three, though they will be wary of the threat posed by the visitors given they lost 3-2 against them in the Bundesliga on January 11.
Holstein Kiel's record at Holstein-Stadion has been poor, as while they beat Borussia Monchengladbach 4-3 last time out at the stadium on April 26, they failed to win any of their previous six at home, losing on four occasions.
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As for Freiburg, though they will be pleased to have held the 2023-24 Bundesliga winners Leverkusen to a stalemate, they still squandered a two-goal lead despite not conceding until the 82nd minute, and the draw has made the race for Champions League football unnecessarily tense.
Breisgau-Brasilianer occupy the final Champions League spot but are just one point ahead of fifth-placed Borussia Dortmund and two points ahead of sixth-placed RB Leipzig, and with a game against third-placed Eintracht Frankfurt to come on May 17, three points on Saturday could be crucial.
While head coach Julian Schuster will be pleased that his team have managed to score eight goals in their past four matches, he will also be concerned that his side have conceded 13 times in their last seven, whereas they had kept six clean sheets in their prior six.
Freiburg are undefeated in their four most recent fixtures – winning three – and have in fact only lost two of their last 13.
Schuster's team also boast an excellent record away from home having triumphed in four of their past six on the road, drawing the other two.
Team News
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The hosts will have to contend with a number of absentees, including defenders Colin Kleine-Bekel, Ivan Nekic, Marco Komenda and Patrick Erras, and that may give boss Rapp no choice but to field Timo Becker, Carl Johansson and David Zec in a back three.
With midfielder Nicolai Remberg suspended, expect Magnus Knudsen and Armin Gigovic to partner each other in a double pivot.
Steven Skrzybski could support forwards Alexander Bernhardsson and Phil Harres given attackers Andu Yobel Kelati and Shuto Machino are injured.
Unlike his opposite number, Freiburg coach Schuster will be able to pick his XI from an almost entirely fit squad, with midfielder Daniel-Kofi Kyereh his team's only injury absentee.
Maximilian Eggestein and Patrick Osterhage were stationed in the middle of the pitch against Leverkusen, and they are likely to appear together on Saturday.
Attackers Ritsu Doan, Johan Manzambi, Vincenzo Grifo could play behind centre-forward Lucas Holer, who will return to the squad after missing out against Leverkusen due to injury.
Holstein Kiel possible starting lineup:
Dahne; Becker, Johansson, Zec; Rosenboom, Knudsen, Gigovic, Tolkin; Skrzybski; Bernhardsson, Harres
Freiburg possible starting lineup:
Muller; Rosenfelder, Ginter, Lienhart, Makengo; Eggestein, Osterhage; Doan, Manzambi, Grifo; Holer
We say: Holstein Kiel 2-3 Freiburg
Holstein Kiel are in strong goalscoring form, and they will be confident of finding the back of the net against the visitors.
However, Freiburg have also managed to create numerous chances in recent weeks, and they boast an excellent record away from home.
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Lewis Nolan
