Unbeaten in the 2026-27 UEFA Conference League so far, Trabzonspor will look to maintain their perfect record when they welcome Freiburg to Papara Park on Thursday.

The Turkish side have collected six points from their opening two league-phase fixtures and arrive on the back of seven consecutive victories across all competitions, while the visitors have recovered from a difficult spell with successive domestic wins ahead of their trip to Turkey.

Match preview

Trabzonspor have emerged as one of the Conference League's early pace-setters under Thomas Reis, with their impressive domestic form translating into European success.

The Black Sea Storm began their continental campaign with an entertaining 4-2 victory away to KuPS, before returning to Papara Park to beat Hearts 2-0 on matchday two.

Those results came either side of an equally encouraging 2-0 home victory over Besiktas in the Super Lig, while subsequent league wins against Caykur Rizespor (4-3) and Gaziantep (2-0) have extended their winning sequence to seven matches.

Trabzonspor have six consecutive victories at Papara Park, and they have a significant European milestone within reach if they make it seven in a row, as a third successive victory in major continental competition would represent their best such run since November 2013.

Winning their opening three matches of a European campaign would also be only the second time they have achieved that feat, and they will hope to do just that in what will be their first ever meeting against the visitors.

However, Freiburg should provide a considerably different examination from Trabzonspor's previous European opponents.

The German side reached last season's Europa League final before losing to Aston Villa in Istanbul, and their experience at a higher level of continental competition means they should not be underestimated despite their inconsistent beginning to this campaign.

Julian Schuster's side opened their Conference League campaign with a 3-2 victory over Jablonec, but their trip to Monaco proved considerably more difficult, as they suffered a 3-0 defeat, which they followed with a 3-1 loss to Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga.

However, their domestic performances improved, with a 3-2 victory over Wolfsburg in the DFB-Pokal followed by a 2-1 away success against Augsburg.

Nevertheless, their European away record remains a concern, having lost four of their previous five matches on the road in continental competition.

Trabzonspor Conference League form:

Trabzonspor form (all competitions):

Freiburg Conference League form:

Freiburg form (all competitions):

Team News

Trabzonspor have several selection concerns heading into Thursday's encounter, with Aral Simsir, Franculino, Arseniy Batagov, Ruslan Malinovskyi and Okay Yokuslu among those expected to miss out.

Cihan Canak and goalkeeper Onuralp Cevikkan are also doubts, while Sidny Lopes Cabral is suspended following his dismissal against Hearts.

Paul Onuachu is another player whose involvement requires monitoring, although the Nigerian forward returned to the starting lineup against Gaziantep after missing two league matches through injury. 

Freiburg are expected to be without Philipp Treu, who is struggling with an ankle injury, while Florent Muslija remains sidelined with a cruciate ligament injury.

Schuster should nevertheless have considerable experience available in central defence through Matthias Ginter and Philipp Lienhart, while Maximilian Eggestein and Yannik Engelhardt are options in midfield.

Vincenzo Grifo, Yuito Suzuki and Jan-Niklas Beste could provide the creativity behind Igor Matanovic, who has scored in each of Freiburg's last two matches. 

Trabzonspor possible starting lineup:

Onana; Pina, Nwaiwu, Savic, Eskihellac; Fabinho, Kabasakal; Salah, Muci, Saviolo; Onuachu

Freiburg possible starting lineup:

Backhaus; Kubler, Ginter, Lienhart, Makengo; Eggestein, Engelhardt; Beste, Suzuki, Scherhant; Matanovic

We say: Trabzonspor 2-1 Freiburg

Trabzonspor's outstanding home form, attacking consistency and confidence from seven consecutive victories make them difficult to oppose, particularly against a Freiburg side that have struggled to reproduce their domestic performances in European away fixtures.

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