In need of a strong run to revive their campaign, relegation-threatened VfL Bochum welcome out-of-sorts Freiburg this weekend for round 20 of Bundesliga.
The home side are deeply rooted at the bottom of the league standings, having managed just 10 points, eight adrift of safety, while Breisgau-Brasilianer have slipped to 10th with 27 points following a disastrous run of three straight defeats.
Match preview
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After edging St Pauli 1-0 and staging a thrilling fightback from three goals down to snatch a point against Leipzig, Bochum might have sensed an opportunity against an out-of-form Borussia Monchengladbach, but any optimism was swiftly crushed as they suffered a sobering 3-0 defeat to the Foals.
Conceding three unanswered goals for the second game running, Dieter Hecking's men had no way back after Rocco Reitz's opener, Robin Hack's strike and Tim Kleindienst's late goal four minutes from time, slumping to their 13th defeat of the campaign.
Since returning to the top flight in 2021-22, the Blues have edged closer to the drop with each passing season – finishing 13th, then 14th before narrowly surviving relegation through the playoffs after ending 16th last term – and now, rooted to the bottom, they find themselves on the same downward trajectory.
A disastrous run in the opening half of the campaign contributed majorly to Bochum's current predicament, failing to secure victory in their first 14 outings before winning two of the next three, but after going back-to-back games without success, the threat of another prolonged drought looms unless something changes.
Looking to reverse their fortunes, starting with this weekend's encounter, Die Unabsteigbaren can draw confidence from their improved return at Vonovia-Ruhrstadion, where they have picked up seven points from a possible nine in their most recent outings after managing just two from their previous six matches.
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Meanwhile, a difficult streak of fixtures has seen Freiburg's fortunes take a worse turn, with Breisgau-Brasilianer suffering defeats in each of their last three games, where they endured humiliating 4-1 and 4-0 losses on their trips to Stuttgart and Eintracht Frankfurt respectively before succumbing 2-1 to league leaders Bayern Munich last time out.
This downturn has seen Julian Schuster's men slip to 10th place with 27 points, four behind sixth-placed Mainz 05, who are occupying the final European spot.
Freiburg's recent struggles stem from their frailties at the back, having conceded a league-high 12 in 2025, bringing their total to 36 and leaving them with the joint-fifth worst defensive record in the division.
Breisgau-Brasilianer can be optimistic as they face a less daunting opponent in Bochum, whose 17 goals are the joint-second fewest while conceding the second-most (43).
Freiburg can also take confidence from their dominance in this fixture, having recorded victories in each of the last six meetings – their longest winning streak against any current Bundesliga side.
Team News
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Bochum have no recorded injury concerns, and Matus Bero, after missing the previous match due to suspension, is expected to be back in the lineup this weekend, taking his position in the middle of the park.
Myron Baodu was unable to replicate his fine display where he netted a hat-trick against Leipzig, firing blanks last time out, and he will be looking to rediscover his scoring touch this weekend.
As for the visitors, Lukas Kubler will play no part on Saturday as he serves his suspension on the sidelines, having received one too many bookings, opening the door for Kiliann Sildillia to potentially fill that void at right-back.
Freiburg will also be without the services of Max Rosenfelder (muscle), Florent Muslija (ankle), Patrick Osterhage (muscle) and Daniel-Kofi Kyereh, with all players expected to return in February.
Meanwhile, Bruno Ogbus remains sidelined for the rest of the season following an acute cruciate ligament injury sustained in December.
VfL Bochum possible starting lineup:
Drewes; Bernardo, Ordets, Medic; Sissoko, Bero, Wittek, Passlack; De Wit; Boadu, Hofmann
Freiburg possible starting lineup:
Atubolu; Sildillia, Ginter, Lienhart, Makengo; Eggestein, Hoefler; Doan, Dinkci, Rohl; Holer
We say: VfL Bochum 1-2 Freiburg
Both sides enter this encounter in poor form, but with Freiburg facing one of their easiest tests in recent weeks and boasting a dominant record against Bochum, they are well placed to return to winning ways.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Adeyeye Oluwapelumi
