Köln endured a dramatic relegation clash with Mainz last weekend through missed penalties, a late converted penalty and away crowd issues.
At the end of the match, an extra time penalty converted by captain and substitute Florian Kainz which rescued a point to keep the Billy Goats in within a very slim chance of survival.
The result means that Köln cannot get relegated on Saturday even with a loss as they would still remain five points off Mainz ahead of their match on Sunday.
Furthermore, Köln's coach, Timo Schultz, has only overseen two wins since he joined the club in January.
Freiburg, in contrast, were very unfortunate last week not to beat Wolfsburg and looked to be in control of the tie until the sending off of Kiliann Sildillia.
This decision turned the game and Wolfsburg were then able to score two goals to beat Christian Streich's Freiburg.
This put an ever so small dent in their hopes for the European Conference League.
However, despite the result, Freiburg remain in seventh with a point lead over Augsburg with three games to go.
Team News
1. FC Köln
It will come as no surprise to many that Davie Selke is still out with injury to his metatarsal. The Köln striker had to be ruled out for the entire season following injury in the Bochum game.
Luca Kilian is also unavailable for Timo Schultz on Saturday, and he too has already been ruled out for the rest of the campaign.
The doubts for the game against Freiburg are Justin Diehl, Dejan Ljubicic, Leart Paqarada and Mark Uth.
Freiburg have a long list of players unavailable which reads: Matthias Ginter (achilles injury), Nicolas Höfler (suspension), Daniel-Kofi Kyereh (knee injury) and Philipp Lienhart (knee issue).
Adding to this, further unavailabilities for Freiburg include: Merlin Röhl (thigh injury), Kenneth Schmidt (adominal problem) and Kiliann Sildillia (red card suspension).
Likely Lineups
1. FC Köln:
Schwäbe; Schmitz, Hübers, Chabot, Finkgräfe; Martel, Huseinbašić; Thielmann, Kainz (c), Alidou; Waldschmidt
Freiburg:
Atubolu; Kübler, Keitel, Gulde; Dōan, Sallai, Eggestein, Günter (c); Höler, Grifo; Gregoritsch
Key Players
1. FC Köln - Julian Chabot
Julian Chabot has been nothing short of a game changer in a very mediocre to sometimes dreadful Köln side under both Steffen Baumgart and current coach Timo Schultz.
Showing his experience, he has taken it on board to have the initiative to push forward in the last two games against Darmstadt and Mainz in order to try and score.
Having learnt his craft in Italy for Sampdoria whilst playing against the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimović and Romelu Lukaku, Chabot has built a physical presence.
Nicknamed "the bouncer" in the streets of the cathedral city, the defender has the fighting spirit that means he could turn the game on Saturday.
With rumours he might leave in the summer, there might be a chance for the twenty-six-year-old to put himself in the front of the shop window heading into the summer transfer period.
Freiburg - Vincenzo Grifo
In a season of loads of ups and downs for the side from Southern Germany, Vincenzo Grifo has managed to remain consistent and has gone under the radar this season.
Despite having eight goals and seven assists, the Italian midfield maestro has silently been able to continue his streak as one of the Bundesliga's excellent midfielders.
A slight dry patch in scoring sees him without a goal since matchday twenty-eight.
However, he will be eager to find a performance like he had in 2021 when he sent Köln's survival hopes in disarray also on the third to last matchday with a goal and two assists.
Match Details
Where is the game being played?
The game is being played at 1. FC Köln's Müngersdorfer Stadion (also known as RheinEnergie Stadion due to sponsorship reasons).
What time is kick-off?
The match kicks off at 17:30 GMT on Saturday May 4th 2024.
How can I watch?
The game is available for viewers in the United Kingdom to watch on the Sky Sports Arena channel on TV. Alternatively, the game should also be accessible on the Sky Sports App on desktop or on any mobile devices and tablets via the Sky Sports Arena channel.