Trabzonspor vs SC Freiburg preview and prediction: unbeaten hosts meet a side in 18th

Context and table

Trabzonspor host SC Freiburg at Papara Park on Thursday 5 November in the Conference League, with kick-off at 17:45 UTC. As things stand, the home side are 4th in the table. They have played 2, won 2 and scored 6 goals while conceding 2, which gives them 6 points.

SC Freiburg are 18th as things stand. They have also played 2, winning 1 and losing 1, with 3 goals for and 5 against. That leaves them 3 points behind the hosts. Both sides may play again before this fixture, so the picture could shift.

Trabzonspor's recent form

Trabzonspor have won all of their last 5 matches, scoring 15 goals and conceding 5. The most recent was a 4-3 win away at Rizespor on 26 October. Before that came a 2-0 home win over Heart Of Midlothian and a 2-0 home win over Beşiktaş. They also won 4-2 at KuPS and 3-0 at Samsunspor.

Over 9 matches this season they average 2.4 goals scored and 0.9 conceded per match. They have kept a clean sheet in 44% of those games and failed to score in 11%. The expected goals figures for the last 5 games show them creating more than they allowed each time, though the 2.63 to 1.81 split at Rizespor suggests that game was more open than most.

SC Freiburg's recent form

SC Freiburg's last 5 matches brought 2 wins and 3 defeats, with 8 goals scored and 12 conceded. They beat VfL Wolfsburg 3-2 at home on 28 October. Before that they lost 1-3 at home to Bayern München, 0-3 away at Monaco and 1-2 away at Bayer Leverkusen. A 3-2 home win over FK Jablonec on 15 October completes the run.

Across 7 matches this season they average 2.3 goals scored and 1.3 conceded. They have scored in every one of those games, since their failed-to-score figure is 0%, and 86% of their matches have produced more than 2.5 goals. Their expected goals figure was above 1.5 only against Wolfsburg and Jablonec in the last 5, and in the games against Bayern München and Leverkusen they allowed more than they created.

Head-to-head

There are no previous meetings between the two clubs in the records, so this will be a first. There is no shared history to draw on, and the outlook rests on current form.

Outlook

The form points towards Trabzonspor. They arrive with 5 straight wins, a stronger table position and a solid defensive record at home and away. SC Freiburg have shown they can score, but they have also conceded often in recent weeks. A game with goals at both ends looks plausible, given how both sides have performed, although the hosts hold the edge on current evidence.