With three rounds to go, Freiburg are at the pole position to finish 4th in the league

After three consecutive wins, Freiburg are evercloser to a debut appearance in the Champions League. But to seal the deal, they must kill Bayer Leverkusen’s dreams of defending their title.

Freiburg are one of several unusual teams that stepped up this season but unlike other examples like Mainz, they found their best form at the right time. With three rounds to go, Freiburg are at the pole position to finish 4th in the Bundesliga and qualify for the CL for the first time in their history.

It is fair to say that Breisgau-Brasilianer were lucky to have a lighter schedule compared to some of the other contenders for the Top 4, and they took advantage by winning their last three matches. Bayer Leverkusen will be a much tougher challenge, although Die Werkself have not been phenomenal on the road lately.

The title race is probably going to end anyway, regardless if Leverkusen win or lose, as Bayern Munich have a much easier fixture on their hands this weekend. But Xabi Alonso’s side shouldn’t gift the title to Bayern just like that and there is always a possibility that the Bavarians make a mistake.

It is fair to say that this rivalry has been one of the most attractive in recent years, as the two teams produced a number of unbelievable fixtures. But even in this historic season, Freiburg still came short when they faced Leverkusen in December (5-1). And overall, Die Werkself won six of the last 10 H2Hs, including the last three in a row.

Freiburg: Atubolu, Gunter, Ginter, Lienhart, Kubler, Eggestein, Osterhage, Doan, Holer, Grifo, Adamu.

Bayer Leverkusen: Kovar, Tah, Tapsoba, Hincapie, Grimaldo, Xhaka, Palacios, Frimpong, Adli, Schick, Wirtz.