A look at the statistics says it all. Untitled SC Freiburg meets Juventus Turin, the 37-time Italian champions. And yet experts like Jürgen Kohler believe that Freiburg has a chance.
Freiburg’s development seems to be unstoppable. After losing the final in the DFB Cup against RB Leipzig and 20 games in the Europa League so far, the 21st game at Juventus Turin (Thursday at 9 p.m. in the audio stream on SWR Sport) will be another milestone in Freiburg football history. And even experts like Jürgen Kohler, who played for Juve for four years, trust Freiburg to survive against the old lady – “la vecchia signora”.
“In a game like this, the chances are 50:50, SC Freiburg has written an extraordinary history over many, many years. Be it the table situation, be it the calm in the club, be it the new stadium. SC Freiburg has a lot of things right done, coach selection and and and. There are a few plus points on the credit side.”
In an interview with SWR Sport, Kohler made it clear that Freiburg first had to “stalk” internationally. The development at the club from Breisgau is all the more impressive. “It’s extraordinary what Freiburg did there.”
The supposed David does not have a chance in the duel against the Italian Goliath, Fritz Keller, the former SC President, is also convinced of this. “Juventus have a great history and a great name from the past,” said Keller of the upcoming opponents. But in the domestic league, Juve were deducted 15 points for accounting fraud. The European football association UEFA and the public prosecutor are also investigating against the people of Turin. Nevertheless, the name Juve still has “sound”.
“SC have such a great squad that goes through all the lows together. Having the second leg at home is a huge advantage.”
Fritz Keller will be there in Turin, he won’t miss it. Many fans also travel to the city on the Po. 2100 supporters were lucky enough to get tickets for the away contingent. But many also arrive frustrated, their tickets, which they had bought as “Juventus members”, have been cancelled. Being there is everything and maybe you’ll catch the “Bianconeri” on the wrong foot. In Serie A there was a 0:1 defeat in Rome after a winning streak. The performance was weak. Nevertheless, says Jürgen Kohler, Juve shouldn’t be underestimated.
“Italians shouldn’t be written off as a matter of principle, they are ready for extraordinary performances in extraordinary games. Even if the last few years at Juventus have pointed in the opposite direction.”
The glory days of “Juve” are a thing of the past
Juventus has sporting problems this season. The 37-time Italian champions are no longer as strong as they once were. In the Champions League, coach Massimiliano Allegri’s team got stuck in the preliminary round. After deducting points in the league, they are in seventh place, the premier class only seems to be accessible via the Europa League title.
For Juventus, the goal is therefore clearly defined. “We want to win this trophy,” said international striker Federico Chiesa, adding: “That would be nice after everything that’s happened during the season.” Reaching the round of 16 is a highlight for Freiburg, says coach Christian Streich. Much more than the round of 16 first leg in the Europa League at Juve is not possible. And yet Freiburg, like Juve, wants to get into the quarter-finals and even Jürgen Kohler, who secretly keeps his fingers crossed for Juventus, believes Freiburg can pull off the big coup. At the end of the day, according to him, the better player in both games should advance to the next round.
“Freiburg’s chance lies in the fact that they can play carefree. Of course, Freiburg would also love to advance to the next round.”
