It's been all smiles so far for Freiburg in the UEFA Europa League this season. - © IMAGO/GEPA pictures/ Oliver Lerch

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Freiburg vs. Maccabi Tel Aviv: UEFA Europa League LIVE blog and team news

22.01.2026

Already assured of at least a play-off spot, Freiburg can take a big step towards the round of 16 in the UEFA Europa League as they put their unbeaten record on the line at home to Maccabi Tel Aviv on Thursday (kick-off: 6.45pm CET).

Julian Schuster's team are one of four yet to taste defeat in the Europa League this season and sit fifth in the standings with six out of eight games played in the league phase. They have 14 points on the board – just one off the top three of Lyon, Midtjylland and Aston Villa on 15 each – and are already assured of at least a place in the knockout play-offs with two games to spare.

Freiburg opened their European campaign with a 2-1 win at home to Basel in September before Junior Adamu earned them a 1-1 draw away at Bologna. Yuito Suzuki and Vincenzo Grifo were on target to claim a 2-0 victory over Utrecht before a first-half treble from Grifo, Johan Manzambi and Derry Scherhant brought three more points with a 3-1 win in Nice at the start of November. After a goalless draw at also unbeaten Viktoria Plzen, they beat Red Bull Salzburg 1-0 at home in the final game of 2025 thanks to Philipp Lienhart.

Sitting 35th out of 36 in the table, Maccabi have lost all five games since opening with a 0-0 draw away at PAOK in September. Last time out they were beaten 4-1 in Stuttgart, scoring just their second goal of the European campaign. The Israeli club aren’t mathematically out of the running yet but find themselves six points short of a play-off spot going into the final two rounds.

Freiburg come into this game on the back of a 2-2 draw with Augsburg on Matchday 18, coming from behind to salvage a point and make it just two losses from their last 10 games in all competitions.

Follow the game below!

Freiburg

Thu, 22.01 17:45

Tel Aviv

Europa League
League phase, Matchday 7 League phase, Matchday 7 Europa-Park Stadion

Julian Schuster on facing Tel Aviv

"They've faced very strong opponents and still had good moments and chances in all of those games. They definitely have players who know what to do with the ball. We'll be prepared for that."

Early Freiburg team news

The Bundesliga side will be without just two players for this encounter in long-term absentee Daniel-Kofi Kyereh and Philipp Lienhart. Otherwise, they are at full strength as they aim to book their place in the last 16. Lienhart and Lukas Kübler are the two Freiburg players at risk of missing Matchday 8 if they get another yellow card.

Solid at the back

Freiburg have the second-best defence in the Europa League league phase so far, conceding just three times in their six games. That is somewhat in contrast to their Bundesliga form, where they have shipped 31 times - the second-highest in the division's top 11.

2:03

Watch: Augsburg 2-2 Freiburg - highlights

Freiburg came from two goals down at Augsburg this past weekend to secure a share of the spoils.

Tale of the tape

This will be Freiburg's first-ever game against an Israeli club. Tel Aviv, meanwhile, have played 10 games against German opposition. They have won only one of those matches, against Eintracht Frankfurt in this competition 13 years ago.

Maccabi Tel Aviv: The story so far

It has been a difficult campaign for Tel Aviv, who have managed to pick up just one point from their six games so far. That includes a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Stuttgart.

Freiburg: The story so far

Freiburg sit in a strong position in the Europa League league phase standings after six matches, winning four and drawing two. That leaves them on 14 points, two clear of Stuttgart who occupy the first of the play-off positions. Three points here would put Freiburg on the brink of an automatic place in the last 16.