Freiburg are on the cusp of a surprise return to Europe in 2019/20, but what has been their journey to this point?

bundesliga.com looks back on the season so far from a Black Forest point of view...

Who they signed: After finishing in 13th place and a comfortable eight points clear of the relegation zone in 2018/19, Freiburg quietly went to work consolidating and improving their squad last summer without needing the larger-scale overhaul European qualification would have required.

Christian Streich did well to hold on to attacking midfielder Vincenzo Grifo, who had returned to the Black Forest club on loan from Hoffenheim in the second half of last season, while fan favourite Jonathan Schmid also moved back to Freiburg after four years away. Gian-Luca Itter was brought in from Wolfsburg to provide cover for Christian Günter at left-back, while exciting attacking prospect Wooyeong Jeong was brought in from the Bayern Munich reserves.

Jonathan Schmid has made a successful return to Freiburg in 2019/20 so far. - Sebastian Widmann/Bundesliga/Bundesliga Collection via Getty Images

What they expected: Prior to the current campaign, Freiburg had played 13 seasons in the top flight since the turn of the century, suffering relegation three times. Against that backdrop and for a club with the third-smallest stadium in the Bundesliga (only Union Berlin and Paderborn have a smaller capacity than the 24,000 Schwarzwaldstadion), avoiding relegation was always going to be the number one priority.

"For us, we're aiming to make sure that three teams finish behind us," said star striker Nils Petersen during pre-season training. Captain Mike Frantz echoed that sentiment, saying, "our objective is to have another quiet campaign and also to prove we don’t need to be scared of certain teams."

However, with advanced plans in the works for a shiny new out-of-town stadium with room for over 10,000 more spectators, simply maintaining the status quo was not the only item on the to-do list. Instead, Freiburg were looking to establish themselves as a Bundesliga side, ideally in the top half of the table, and – whisper it quietly – maybe even qualify for Europe. That may seem a far-fetched idea for a team often viewed as a quaint country team, but having done just that twice since 2012/13, it was by no means considered impossible.

Want more Bundesliga Action?

GET THE UPDATES!

How it played out: Relegation contenders? Title contenders more like, at least initially. Streich's men burst out of the blocks and won 13 points from the first 18 available, before holding Borussia Dortmund to a 2-2 draw on Matchday 7 in what was their best-ever start to a top-flight season.

Having used a four-man defence for most of 2018/19, Streich switched to three at the back this season, with Philipp Lienhart, Robin Koch and Nico Schlotterbeck charged with keeping the opposition at bay. Koch's performances were so good that even Joachim Löw was impressed, handing the centre-back his first senior Germany cap in October 2019.

The change of formation allowed Günter to push forward into a more attacking left wing-back role, with Schmid doing the same on the other flank. The duo's contribution was considerable: the former contributed a goal and four assists before the winter break; the latter four goals and one assist.

That early season form was no mere purple patch either – Freiburg also recorded wins over European participants RB Leipzig, Eintracht Frankfurt and Wolfsburg, while also holding Bayer Leverkusen and Schalke to draws and only succumbing to a 3-1 defeat against Bayern after the record champions scored two stoppage-time goals. As such, Streich's side were eighth at the halfway stage of the season, just two points behind Leverkusen in sixth.

However, things began to unravel after the winter break. Freiburg beat Mainz 2-1 in their first game of the new year, one of just three victories in 2020, but subsequently lost to relegation strugglers Paderborn and Cologne. Overall, they lost four times prior to the coronavirus-enforced hiatus, scoring just seven times in eight games.

They remain well on course to achieve their targets though; with nine fixtures still to play they are 14 points clear of the bottom three and just one point behind Schalke in sixth.

Key player: Günter is arguably a prime contender for Freiburg's Player of the Year gong, having consistently impressed in his more attacking role this season.

However, in a side filled with talented up-and-coming youngsters, a seasoned veteran has proved a reliable presence throughout: Nils Petersen. Now in his sixth season at the club, the 31-year-old has contributed to more goals than anyone else this term, scoring eight and assisting two to help the side stay well clear of the drop zone.

In doing so, he also became Freiburg's all-time top scorer on Matchday 18, netting his 84th goal for the club to overtake Löw in the record books. "Nils's been with us a long time, but not actually a massively long time and he's still scored a lot of goals," said Streich after the striker set a new club best-mark.

"Nils is a huge character both on and off the pitch. There's no other way of saying it. And he's an extraordinary footballer. He can play with both feet and he's got really good technique. He runs a lot for the team and is an absolute team player. I'm delighted for him."

Best game: There's a case to be made that Freiburg's 3-1 defeat to Bayern on Matchday 16 was their best performance of the season, having fought back from 1-0 down to equalise against a star-stacked visiting team. They looked to be on course for a surprise – but deserved – point, until Joshua Zirkzee and Serge Gnabry both scored in stoppage time to give the defending champions the win.

Such a display was arguably only possible thanks to the momentum of previous weeks, though. It had been building with those early victories, but the 2-1 win over Leipzig on Matchday 9 took Freiburg into second place and instilled a rock-solid belief among the players that they could compete with the very best.

Watch: How Freiburg got off to their best-ever season start!

Freiburg weather and early storm against a strong Leipzig side that had just beaten Zenit St. Petersburg in the UEFA Champions League, and scored on the stroke of half-time to take a 1-0 lead into the break. Resolute defending and a clinical finish from Petersen in the final minute put the seal on the win, with Lukas Klostermann's late effort a mere consolation for the visitors.

The Black Forest outfit subsequently drew away to Bremen and Leverkusen, and beat Frankfurt and Wolfsburg at home to underline one of their best and most consistent Hinrunden ever.

Biggest surprise: Now in his third full season in Streich's squad, Koch has become a pillar of the team, starting 24 of 25 Bundesliga outings this season and playing the full 90 minutes almost every game. Standing at 6'2", the hulking centre-back wins 59 per cent of all duels, a figure that rises to 63 per cent in the air, while he finds a teammate with nine of every 10 passes.

Now sporting a headcap after suffering a head injury earlier in the season, Robin Koch has become a Germany international during 2019/20 with Freiburg. - Sebastian Widmann/Bundesliga/Bundesliga Collection via Getty

Given the calibre of players such as Niklas Süle, Matthias Ginter, Emre Can and Lukas Klostermann all vying for places at the heart of Germany's defence – and all of them playing for high-profile clubs competing in European competition – the significance of Koch's inclusion in Löw's Nationalmannschaft cannot be overstated.

And the fact he has been called up on two different occasions – in November and October last year – prove he has the consistency to go with the ability.

About the clubs

SC Freiburg

Europa-Park Stadion