The Matchday 1 clash of the 2025/26 Europa League group stage between Freiburg (Germany) and Basel (Switzerland) will take place on September 24 at the Europa-Park Stadium. Freiburg vs. Basel: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Freiburg
Julian Schuster's side earned a spot in the Europa League group stage thanks to their fifth-place finish in last season's Bundesliga. As a result, Freiburg will participate in the main draw of this European competition for the third time in the last four seasons, having reached the Round of 16 in both previous appearances. Notably, the German team has lost only twice in their last eight Europa League matches (4 wins, 2 draws).
- The team has remained unbeaten in 7 of their last 9 home matches in the Europa League (5 wins, 2 draws).
- At least three goals have been scored in 4 of the team's last 5 home games in this competition.
- At least one of the opponents failed to score in 6 of Freiburg's last 7 Europa League matches.
Predicted lineup for Freiburg (4-5-1)
Noah Atubolu – Jordi Makengo, Philipp Lienhart, Matthias Ginter, Lukas Kübler – Vincenzo Grifo, Chikwubuike Adamu, Patrick Osterhage, Maximilian Eggestein, Jan-Niklas Beste – Lucas Höler.
Midfielder Daniel-Kofi Kyereh and forward Chikwubuike Adamu will not play due to injuries.
Basel
Ludovic Magnin's side entered the Europa League group stage after being eliminated in the final qualifying round of the Champions League by Copenhagen (1:1, 0:2). As a result, Basel will participate in the main draw of the Europa League for the first time since the 2019/20 season, when they lost to Shakhtar Donetsk in the quarter-finals (1:4). It is worth noting that the Swiss team has won seven of their last nine matches in this European competition (2 losses).
- The club has not lost in 5 of their last 7 away matches in the Europa League (4 wins, 1 draw).
- At least three goals have been scored in 5 of the team's last 7 away games in this competition.
- The Swiss team has scored in 6 of their last 7 away Europa League matches.
Predicted lineup for Basel (4-3-3)
Mirko Salvi – Keigo Tsunemoto, Nicolas Vujo, Jonas Adjetei, Moussa Cisse – Koba Koindredi, Leo Leroy, Ibrahim Sala – Caio Eduardo, Albian Ajeti, Filip Otelé.
First-choice goalkeeper Marwin Hitz, defender Finn van Breemen, midfielder Koba Koindredi, and forward Beni Traore will miss the match due to injuries.
Referee
Luís Godinho (Portugal)
Matches – 12 (International matches, 2024/25–2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 43;
Average yellow cards per match – 3.6;
Red cards shown – 0;
Average fouls per match – 27;
Penalties – 17%.
Match Prediction: Freiburg vs. Basel
The Germans prefer an attacking game at home and rarely struggle with scoring. In their last nine home matches in the Europa League, Freiburg failed to score only against Juventus, and in that match, they played with one less player for more than half the game. Additionally, the club has scored eight times in four rounds of the current Bundesliga season.
Basel is also not accustomed to sitting back and even in away games, they strive to create as many attacking opportunities as possible. In their last eight away Europa League matches, the team failed to score only once, and in their last four away games in this competition, the Swiss have netted nine goals. However, in their last nine away matches in the Europa League, the club has managed to keep a clean sheet only three times.
I expect both teams to be effective in attack, and my prediction: Both teams to score – yes
