Freiburg have already secured Bundesliga survival, so they are unlikely to be too downhearted by the heavy defeat to leaders Borussia, although Robin Dutt’s men will try to end the poor run of results and win this game. Hannover need a win in order to remain in contention for the Champions League berth, meaning that we are likely to see a very open game at Badenova Stadium.

Freiburg on the downtrend

Freiburg have exceeded all expectations this season, having spent the big part of the league campaign very close to the top of the standings and they even had a chance to fight for the European places following the impressive first part of the season. However, the players showed a lack of ambition after ensuring survival, with the run of five defeats in last seven games showing that Freiburg are going through a very rough patch. The 1:1 draw at Mainz and victory over Hoffenheim lifted the players’ spirits, but Robin Dutt’s men were than beaten 3:0 by Borussia Dortmund and it’s now back to the drawing board for them. The hosts clearly lack motivation at the moment since they will finish the season in mid table regardless of what happens in the last four rounds and that is something very good Hannover side will be looking to take advantage of.

Defender Pavel Krimas returns to the side after suspension, but Simon Pouplin, Felix Bastians, Yacine Abdessadki and Jan Rosenthal remain sidelined, which only adds to the problems seeing that most of the players are normally considered first team regulars.

Hannover still dream

Hannover’s performances have been thoroughly impressive this season, especially when we take into account that Die Roten had barely survived last season. Coach Mirko Slomka has done wonders with the 96ers and they are now in a position to fight with mighty Bayern for the Champions League berth. The goalless draw in Hamburg saw Bayern dislodge Hannover from the third place, but the good performance against another top side proved that Mirko Slomka’s side indeed have enough quality to fight with the best of them. Die Roten now have a great chance to put extra pressure on Bayern by beating indifferent Freiburg, with their counterattacking tactics likely to cause the weakened hosts all sorts of problems. Hannover will also have a couple of important missings, but that shouldn’t be too big a problem.

Didier Ya Konan and Sergio Pinto miss out through suspension, but Jan Schlaudraff should return to the starting line-up. Mohammed Abdellaoue will be fit to play after shaking off a minor knock.

Verdict

Freiburg have been playing way below expectations after they managed to ensure survival and we can expect another poor performance from the severely weakened hosts. Hannover, on the other hand, are very motivated to win this game and they are in pretty good form at the moment, so my advice is to back Hannover to win on level ball handicap.

Our prediction: Hannover to win with 0:0 Asian handicap

Odds: 2.10 (11/10)

Bookmaker: Bet365