There are good starts to a season, and then there is what SC Freiburg have produced in the opening three Bundesliga rounds. Three matches, three wins, ten goals scored and only one conceded have taken Julian Schuster’s side to the top of the table.

European football is no longer unfamiliar territory for Freiburg. They have competed in Europe in four of the last five seasons, establishing themselves among Germany’s most consistent clubs outside the traditional elite. The next step is clear: challenging for the Champions League.

What makes their start particularly impressive is the defensive improvement. Freiburg finished each of the previous three Bundesliga seasons with a negative goal difference and regularly struggled to keep opponents out. This season could hardly have started differently.

After three rounds, Freiburg have the most goals scored (10), fewest conceded (1), joint-most clean sheets (2), highest average Sofascore Rating (7.94) and highest xGOT (9.57) in the Bundesliga.

The sample remains small, but Freiburg suddenly look like a much more complete team.

Away form could define their season

If Freiburg want to turn European consistency into a genuine top-four challenge, however, one major obstacle remains: their performances away from home.

They have traditionally been significantly stronger at home, while difficult away matches have repeatedly cost them points. That makes this weekend’s trip to Frankfurt an interesting early test. Despite Freiburg’s perfect start, Frankfurt enter the match as favourites.

For a team dreaming about Champions League football, these are exactly the games that could determine their ceiling. Freiburg have already proven they can make their home ground a fortress. The next step is becoming equally competitive away from it.

Julian Schuster and Freiburg’s homegrown identity

Their rise becomes even more interesting when considering how the squad has been constructed. Eight of Freiburg’s starting 11 are German-born, while seven of the nine players on the bench were also born in Germany. Igor Matanović is part of that group – born in Germany but representing Croatia internationally.

That philosophy fits head coach Julian Schuster perfectly. He joined Freiburg as a player in 2008 and remained within the club after retiring, moving into coaching before eventually taking charge of the first team.

Rather than changing Freiburg’s identity to compete with wealthier Bundesliga clubs, Schuster is building on it: continuity, local talent, development and a clear footballing philosophy.

Few players represent that identity better than Matthias Ginter.

Born in Freiburg and developed by the club, Ginter left in 2014, the same year he became a World Cup winner with Germany. After eight years with Borussia Dortmund and Borussia Mönchengladbach, he returned home in 2022.

It was more than a sentimental return. Ginter came back while still capable of performing at a high level, with the ambition of playing European football with his boyhood club. That ambition has already become reality. The question now is whether Champions League football could follow.

Igor Matanović: Croatia’s new Mandžukić?

The outstanding individual story of Freiburg’s start is Igor Matanović, currently the highest-rated player in the Bundesliga with an 8.60 Sofascore Rating.

The 197cm Croatian striker has three goals and one assist in three matches and has already made the Sofascore Team of the Week twice.

His underlying numbers are equally impressive. Matanović is averaging 4.3 shots per match, compared with just 1.7 last season. Two of his goals have come from outside the penalty area, an unexpected weapon for a striker whose physical profile suggests a traditional penalty-box target man.

Even more surprising is his dribbling. He averages 2.7 successful dribbles per game at a 73% success rate, ranking sixth in the Bundesliga. For a 197cm centre-forward, that combination of size, strength and technical ability is extremely unusual.

For Croatian fans, the profile inevitably brings back memories of Mario Mandžukić – another powerful Bundesliga striker whose contribution extended far beyond simply scoring goals. Matanović has a long way to go before such comparisons become truly justified, but Croatia may have found another fascinating attacking weapon.

Is Freiburg ready for the next step?

Three victories do not make a Champions League team, and the season remains long. But Freiburg’s progression has never been based on sudden success. European qualification became an achievement, then an expectation. Now Schuster’s side are trying to raise the ceiling again.

Top of the Bundesliga, 10 goals scored, only one conceded and the league’s highest-rated player leading the attack – Freiburg could hardly have provided a stronger opening argument.

The next question is whether they can take that form away from home. If they can, perhaps Ginter’s journey back to his hometown could eventually lead somewhere even he may not have imagined: the Champions League with SC Freiburg.