SC Freiburg versus Juventus Turin: Just a few years ago, you could only have imagined such a duel as a friendly match. Now both teams meet in the European Cup.
Freiburg (dpa / lsw) - It could not have been much better for Christian Streich and SC Freiburg. Europa League round of 16, floodlights, one of the biggest names in world football as an opponent - and then a trip to his "place of longing" Italy. The upcoming cracker against Juventus made the coach of the Bundesliga team go into raptures on Friday.
"Whoever played everything in the club, what great people, we're happy because it's not a friendly match and we're welcoming Turin to open the season, but because it's a European competition," said the 57-year-old after the draw. "Italy has always been a place of longing for me, if I may put it that way. I really enjoy going there on vacation."
The two duels on March 9th in Turin and a week later in Breisgau almost made the Bundesliga business fall into oblivion. Even if Streich didn't want to divert the focus too far from the home game against Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday (3.30 p.m. / DAZN), it was almost all about Juve at the beginning. Because the games against the old lady will definitely go down in club history as two very special ones.
"Juventus Turin is an amazing team, they have an incredible history," said Freiburg's Italy international Vincenzo Grifo. And even though the club has stumbled a bit in the league and Champions League recently, it is still the favorite in the duel with Sport-Club. Streich doesn't see his team without a chance. On the contrary.
"There are always opportunities in football compared to other sports," he said. "When the supposedly inferior team is having a good day and the supposedly superior team is having trouble, there's always a chance. That's one of the many reasons why so many people on this planet keep watching football."
It is also certainly not a disadvantage that the Breisgauer are initially allowed to play away from home. Streich only became a little more reserved when asked whether such a round of 16 against one of the biggest clubs in the world was a reward for the hard work at the sports club. "I've already had enough rewards. Rewards were games against Bayern Munich or VfB Stuttgart in the A-Youth," said the former youth coach. "I won't be as nervous against Juventus as I was when I was younger before games against Stuttgart." He's been there too long for that.
