SC Freiburg v Aston Villa Pre-Match Thread

[TheTimVilla]

I live about 2 hours north of Freiburg. Nobody here supports them. However, the locals all want Freiburg to win, as they are friendly enough & inconsequential. They routinely sell their best players, but only to teams like Brentford & Fulham.

[Dave]

I live about 2 hours north of Freiburg. Nobody here supports them. However, the locals all want Freiburg to win, as they are friendly enough & inconsequential. They routinely sell their best players, but only to teams like Brentford & Fulham.

They're a proper, feel-good, underdog story that if they were playing anybody else should have the support of pretty much everyone.

Unfortunately, we have to be the big, bad corporate rich guys to come along and grind the plucky upstarts underfoot.

[cdbearsfan]

Sounds a bit like our last European final, but with roles reversed. Hopefully that doesn't mean results reversed, too.

[PaulWinch again]

Sounds a bit like our last European final, but with roles reversed. Hopefully that doesn't mean results reversed, too.

It does, and let’s hope not.

[Behind Bluenose Lines]

Bit like Bologna, am struggling to take Freiburg seriously - though I doubt Unai will let the players do as much.

Let's say that provided we turn up and that the gods are willing, we should win comfortably.

We’ve lost to Stevenage in Unai’s time - we should never assume!

#nowtrulytriggered

[Dick Edwards]

Sounds a bit like our last European final, but with roles reversed. Hopefully that doesn't mean results reversed, too.

I get your reasoning but in 1982 we had qualified for the European Cup as champions of England, and English clubs had won it in each of the previous four seasons. Although we weren't favourites, we weren't a Freiburg.

[PeterWithesShin]

Difference is Unai hadn't been here long and was trying out players, most of the starting 11 that day were gone pretty sharpish.

Now we're settled, will have close to our best squad available and are far better than Freiburg, so if we play well we win. If we choose Weds to put in one our occasional stinkers then it may be a different story. I'm confident we'll win.

[eamonn]

Go Ahead Eagles keep coming to mind.

Just go away, go away he said.

[Monty]

Ah the Stevenage defeat. The definitive moment in the Drop the Dendoncker movemnet.

[eamonn]

The handsome Sanson's last hurrah too. A goal to tell his grandkids about, if not the result.

[Somniloquism]

TBF, the only way using the Stevenage result will be comparable to what might happen at Freiburg would be if we have a stupid sending off a la Braga in the last round.