It is not without reason that Roland Sallai is considered an expert at SC Freiburg when it comes to VfL Bochum. In the duels with the Revier-Club, the Hungarian is particularly accurate. And Sallai remembers one of his three goals against VfL particularly well.
Freiburg (dpa/lsw) - Two games, three goals - this is the personal record of the Freiburg offensive player Roland Sallai in the two most recent duels with VfL Bochum. The Hungarian national player should actually have his starting place at the Sport-Club on Friday evening (8.30 p.m. / DAZN) when Bochum make a guest appearance at the Europa-Park stadium. "We don't have anyone seeded, they're set up," joked SC coach Christian Streich the day before the game.
The coach is satisfied with Sallai's development, although the 25-year-old has had "different phases" in his four years since moving from Cypriot club Apoel Nicosia to Sport-Club, partly due to injuries and partly to dissatisfaction. Sallai had his best year in the 2020/21 season, when he was the second best SC scorer after Vincenzo Grifo together with Nils Petersen with eight goals.
But last season he scored a goal that he will "always think about", as the 25-year-old says, "of course especially now before our home game against Bochum": The goal in the last minute of extra time in the DFB quarter-finals -Pokal in Bochum, which secured the semi-finals for the people of Breisgau and ultimately also the participation in the final. "It was perhaps the most important goal in my life so far," said the Hungarian.
In the Bundesliga home game against VfL in April, he scored twice. "I have to perform like this in every game and score as many goals as in the two games against Bochum," Sallai said. In the current season, that has only worked after his substitution in the first round of the DFB Cup in Kaiserslautern. In the three Bundesliga games in which he was part of the starting line-up, he failed to score. "He has everything, has a good pace and can play all offensive positions," Streich praised him.
In the first two games in Augsburg and against Dortmund, he set up Sallai in the center behind striker Michael Gregoritsch. In Stuttgart he returned to the right wing, alternating with Ritsu Doan, but not as convincing as in the previous games. But that applied to the entire team.
Streich therefore calls on his players to approach the home game "with complete respectability and seriousness" - especially after Bochum's 0:7 against Bayern. "They will do everything to correct Sunday's result," warned the SC coach.
