Julian Schuster keeps perspective as Freiburg set new club record with perfect start

Julian Schuster keeps perspective as Freiburg set new club record with perfect start SC Freiburg’s remarkable start to the 2026/27 campaign reached a new landmark on Saturday. The 5-0 demolition of Borussia Mönchengladbach represented Freiburg’s sixth consecutive competitive victory to begin the season, establishing a new club record. Julian Schuster’s side have now won all three of their Bundesliga fixtures, both legs of their UEFA Conference League playoff and their opening DFB-Pokal tie. What began with a European assignment in Scotland less than a month ago has developed into the best competitive start in Freiburg history. Saturday’s victory also temporarily carried Freiburg to the top of the Bundesliga table. It hardly resembled the type of narrow result one might associate with maintaining a streak. Yannik Engelhardt and Igor Matanovic both scored twice against Gladbach before Maximilian Eggestein completed the 5-0 scoreline late on. Freiburg turn perfect start into club record The streak began before the Bundesliga campaign itself. Freiburg opened their competitive season with a 3-1 away victory over Motherwell in the first leg of their Conference League playoff. Three days later, Schuster heavily rotated his side and still watched Freiburg dispatch Fortuna Düsseldorf 5-1 in the DFB-Pokal. Motherwell then arrived at the Europa-Park Stadion for the return leg and lost 4-1. By that stage, Freiburg had already won three matches across two competitions before playing a single minute of Bundesliga football. GGFN examined precisely that unusual situation in Freiburg’s 2026/27 tactical preview , with three competitive fixtures already offering considerably more evidence than the customary collection of summer friendlies. The Bundesliga results have strengthened that assessment. Freiburg opened league play by beating Werder Bremen 4-1, with Yuito Suzuki scoring a hat-trick. The following weekend required something altogether different as Schuster’s side ground out a 1-0 away victory against promoted Paderborn. Then came Saturday. Freiburg’s sixth victory was also their largest. Across the six matches, the Breisgauer have scored 22 goals while conceding only four. Schuster keeps record start in perspective “Gladbach made it difficult for us initially,” Schuster acknowledged in an interview with Sky Germany afterward. “Of course, the goals and the red card helped us bring the game home. A lot is possible thanks to the continuity of our personnel and the quality of our footballing academy.” That explanation closely mirrors the themes surrounding Freiburg before the campaign began. Players leave. Others move into their places. Academy products emerge. New signings are introduced into established structures. The names alter considerably more frequently than the football. Six straight wins have also produced another early-season curiosity. Freiburg finished Saturday at the top of the Bundesliga. Schuster had little interest in pretending the position meant nothing, but equally little interest in treating three league fixtures as anything resembling a meaningful title discussion. “I don’t need to downplay anything,” Schuster said. “The fact that it’s matchday three speaks for itself. If we were in this position on matchday 32, you’d hear something else from me. There’s so little football played. Things can quickly go in the other direction. We’ll still take this momentum, which we’ve certainly earned.” Engelhardt was similarly happy to enjoy Saturday without becoming carried away. The former Gladbach loanee collected the Man of the Match award after scoring twice, although he felt Matanovic had an equally legitimate claim following his own brace. “Yeah, it was a lot of fun,” Engelhardt told Sky Germany . “I would gladly share this award with Igor [Matanovic] as he deserved to be named ‘Man of the Match’ as much as I do. I’ll nevertheless take it as he’ll probably score a few more braces than I will. He said it was okay [that I take it].” Engelhardt’s enjoyment was tempered by the identity of the opponent. “I’m of course incredibly happy with the win, but it does hurt my heart a tad to see Borussia and their fans in such a state,” he said. “I might have only been a loan player [with them last year], but the club has a place in my heart and I made some friends there. I wish Borussia all the best.” Freiburg, meanwhile, move forward in altogether different circumstances. GGFN  |  Peter Weis