Freiburg coach Julian Schuster stressed the importance of self-confidence and discipline for his team to overcome DFB Cup champions VfB Stuttgart on Thursday afternoon and reach their second domestic cup final.
Freiburg’s 2-1 victory over Heidenheim on Matchday 30 means Schuster’s men travel to Stuttgart in fine form, having achieved back-to-back league wins for the first time this year, having beaten Mainz 1-0 the previous week.
Schuster, whose team suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat in their last game against Stuttgart on Matchday 20, was level-headed in his pre-match assessment of the strength of both teams, saying: “It will be a difficult challenge, but we approach it with a lot of confidence in ourselves.”
Look: Stuttgart 1-0 Freiburg: highlights from the previous match
VfB Stuttgart 1-0 Freiburg01.02.2026
“It’s very important to have the discipline to carry out what you’ve worked on in your game plan,” the 41-year-old continued. “That creates situations where you can take control of the game and dictate it. Both teams are very good at that.”
Although eager to highlight the importance of his team playing its own game, Schuster acknowledged the irrefutable threat posed by cup winners Stuttgart, who have scored the second-most goals in the Bundesliga this season (62) behind champions Bayern Munich (109).
“Of course, we will need a performance in which we are at our best level in many aspects, and we also have to accept that the opponent has their qualities. There will be moments when we will have to be prepared to suffer,” explained the coach.
Freiburg is the only German team, apart from Bayern, that still plays in three different competitions. – IMAGO/JOERAN STEINSIEK
Stuttgart may also feel they have a slight advantage in terms of freshness, given that they are no longer involved in European competitions and Freiburg have a UEFA Europa League semi-final with Portuguese team SC Braga just around the corner next week.
However, Schuster was quick to dismiss concerns about his team’s energy levels, saying: “All you need to do is look in their eyes to see how alert they are. I’m very confident that tomorrow we’ll have the energy we need to win.”
This confidence, however, was reciprocated by his counterpart on the Stuttgart bench, Sebastian Hoeneß, who saw no reason to mince words when speaking of his team’s ambitions: “We are very, very motivated to reach our second consecutive DFB Cup final; you can already feel the positive energy among the boys.”
