The Bundesliga season may have finished, but we still have one more game on the German football calendar to enjoy.
The DFB-Pokal final takes place at Berlin’s Olympiastadion on Saturday, with SC Freiburg and RB Leipzig going head-to-head in the showpiece.
Season's not done yet. We've got a @DFBPokal_EN final to prepare for 👊🔴⚪ #WeAreLeipzig pic.twitter.com/KVS1eqkAHi— RB Leipzig English (@RBLeipzig_EN) May 17, 2022
Season's not done yet. We've got a @DFBPokal_EN final to prepare for 👊🔴⚪ #WeAreLeipzig pic.twitter.com/KVS1eqkAHi
Both sides enjoyed successful Bundesliga campaigns, with fourth-place Leipzig finishing just three points ahead of sixth-place Freiburg in the final standings.
However, neither club have won the DFB-Pokal before – so they will both be desperate to get their hands on the trophy this weekend.
Freiburg suffered a 2-1 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen on the final day of the Bundesliga season, meaning they head into the final of the back of successive losses.
That said, they only lost three of their last 13 Bundesliga games and deservedly qualified for the UEFA Europa Conference League.
It is also worth noting that only four teams conceded fewer Bundesliga goal than Freiburg this term, highlighting their defensive solidity.
In the DFB-Pokal, Freiburg have dispatched Wurzbuger Kickers (1-0), VfL Osnabruck (3-2), Hoffenheim (4-1), VfL Bochum (2-1) and Hamburger (3-1) to book their place in the final.
As for RB Leipzig, they have seen off Sandhausen (4-0), Babelsburg (1-0), Hansa Rostock (2-0), Hannover 96 (4-0) and Union Berlin (2-1) to reach the final.
In the Bundesliga, they won 11 of their last 17 games to punch their ticket to next season’s UEFA Champions League.
After conceding just 37 goals in 34 games, the Red Bulls finished the Bundesliga campaign with the joint-best defensive record – alongside Bayern Munich.
Having lost two of the previous three DFB-Pokal finals, Leipzig will be eager to make amends for their shortcomings in 2019 and 2021.
Head-to-head: Freiburg and Leipzig have already played out two 1-1 draws this season, suggesting that Saturday’s clash could be a close-fought battle.
It is worth pointing out, however, that Freiburg have failed to win any of their previous five matches against the Red Bulls.
Team news: Freiburg look set to be without the injured trio of Yannik Keitel, Kevin Schade and Noah Weißhaupt this weekend.
On the flip side, Amadou Haidara and Josko Gvardiol are expected to miss Saturday’s final for Leipzig due to injury.
Both sides will be desperate to clinch their maiden DFB-Pokal crown this weekend, meaning we are likely to see a frenetic encounter.
Forebet predicts that Freiburg and Leipzig will dish up a high-scoring draw, sending the game into extra-time.