Freiburg and Utrecht return to action in the Europa League when they go head to head on Thursday. While the hosts are unbeaten in eight straight matches, the Domstedelingen head into the midweek clash fresh off the back of ending a six-game winless run.
FootballWhispers’ Freiburg vs Utrecht prediction takes a look at the chances of both sides securing all three points at the Europa-Park-Stadion.
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Freiburg vs Utrecht prediction: Utrecht’s recent away woes to continue
Key stats
- Utrecht have conceded the opening goal in six of their last seven matches, with a combined 15 goals scored across the seven games.
- Both sides have scored in eight of Freiburg’s 11 games this season, with the German outfit scoring 20 goals and keeping three clean sheets so far.
- Utrecht have lost each of their last three away matches across all competitions, conceding five goals and scoring twice since August’s 2-0 victory at Zwolle.
- Freiburg are unbeaten in their most recent four competitive home games, picking up two wins and two draws since a 3-1 defeat against Augsburg in their first home game of the season back in August.
Correct score prediction: Freiburg 2-1 Utrecht
Buoyed by their dominant display against Volendam, Utrecht will head into Thursday’s tie with renewed belief as they look to finally get their European journey off and running.
However, they are up against a well-drilled Freiburg side who are unbeaten in eight back-to-back games across all competitions and we predict the German outfit will make the most of their home advantage in this one.
Pre-game odds and win probability: Freiburg tipped as heavy favourites by bookmakers
- HOME: 11/20 (1.55) – 64.5%
- DRAW: 16/5 (4.20) – 23.8%
- AWAY: 9/2 (5.50) – 18.2%
*odds from Ladbrokes, subject to change
Freiburg are heavily backed by the bookies to come out on top this weekend against a stuttering Utrecht side looking to put together a fine run of form.
This is indicated by their 64.5% win probability, compared to Utrecht’s 18.2%, while there is a 23.8% possibility of the spoils being shared at the Europa Park Stadion.
A late strike from Vincenzo Grifo helped Freiburg salvage a 2-2 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt at the weekend while Utrecht picked up a comfortable 3-1 victory over Volendam on home turf.
While we take a deeper look into both teams, you can take a peek at some of FootballWhispers’ best picks and predictions for the midweek European fixtures in today’s free football betting tips.
Most recent H2Hs: A first-ever encounter
This will be the first-ever meeting between Freiburg and Utrecht, adding an extra layer of intrigue to the tie at the Europa Park Stadion as both sides look to begin their head-to-head record on a winning note.
Freiburg preview: Just one defeat in the last six Europa League games
Freiburg extended their unbeaten home run to four matches on Sunday when they fought back from behind to rescue a 2-2 draw against Frankfurt in their Bundesliga clash.
While this was a fourth consecutive share of the spoils for Julian Schuster’s men, they have now gone eight straight games without defeat in all competitions, claiming four wins and four draws since a 4-1 loss against Koln on August 31.
Freiburg turn their focus to the Europa League, where they kicked off their campaign with a 2-1 home win over Basel on September 24, one week before holding out for a 1-1 draw against Bologna in Italy.
The German head into Thursday’s game unbeaten in five of their six Europa League outings in 2025, picking up three wins and two draws since the turn of the year.
Freiburg’s only defeat in that time came on March 14, when they were hammered 5-0 by West Ham United in the second leg of their round-of-16 clash, having claimed a 1-0 victory in the reverse leg on home turf.
Predicted lineup: Atubolu (GK), Kubler, Ginter, Lienhart, Gunter, Eggestein, Hofler, Beste, Holer, Grifo & Adamu
Last five games
- Freiburg 2-2 Frankfurt
- Monchengladbach 0-0 Freiburg
- Bologna 1-1 Freiburg
- Freiburg 1-1 Hoffenheim
- Freiburg 2-1 Basel
Utrecht preview: Out to end poor run of away results
Utrecht turned in a resilient team display on Saturday when they scored three second-half goals to fight back from behind and claim a 3-1 victory over Volendam in the Eredivisie.
This was a much-needed result for Ron Jans’s men, who had lost six of their previous seven matches, with a 2-2 draw against Heerenveen on September 28 being the exception.
Utrecht will look to carry on the momentum from their league display to the Europa League, where they have stumbled into the new campaign, losing their opening two matches while conceding twice and failing to find the back of the net so far.
The Domstedelingen suffered a 1-0 home defeat against Olympique Lyon in the group opener on September 25, one week before losing to Norwegian outfit Brann by the same scoreline.
While Utrecht will be looking to build on the result against Volendam and finally get their Europa League journey off and running, they have lost each of their last three away matches since a 2-0 win over Zwolle on August 31.
Predicted lineup: Barkas (GK), Horemans, Van der Hoorn, Viergever, El Karouani, Iqbal, Zechiel, Engwanda, Rodríguez, Min & Blake
Last five games
- Utrecht 3-1 Volendam
- Feyenoord 3-2 Utrecht
- Brann 1-0 Utrecht
- Utrecht 2-2 Heerenveen
- Utrecht 0-1 Lyon
Player to watch — Souffian El Karouani
Souffian El Karouani inspired Utrecht to victory against Volendam with one goal and one assist at the weekend and the 25-year-old will be one to keep an eye on.
The 25-year-old boasts seven goal involvements in nine Eredivisie games (2G, 5A) and will be a key piece in the Domstedelingen set-up at the Europa Park Stadion on Thursday.
El Karouani should team up with Adrian Blake down the left flank, while veteran forward Sebastien Haller should lead the attack as he looks to open his account for the season.