Trabzonspor boss Thomas Reis faces selection dilemma ahead of Freiburg tie

Trabzonspor manager Thomas Reis says the return of injured players has made it difficult to decide on his starting line-up for Thursday’s UEFA Conference League meeting with Freiburg.

The Turkish side host Freiburg at 19:45 in the third round of the competition’s league phase, with Reis having several players recovering from injury and competing for places in the team.

“I am having difficulties choosing the starting line-up as the injured players recover,” the German said at his pre-match news conference.

“When you have players of this quality, selecting the team is not easy,” he added.

Reis also praised the strength of his squad ahead of the match.

“Our team is in a good condition and all the players are good,” he said.

However, Trabzonspor will still be without Franculino Dju and Aral Simsir for the Freiburg game. Reis confirmed that neither player is expected to be available until the next international break.

“The two of them will not be available to us until the international break and they will not be able to play against Freiburg,” he said.

No date has yet been confirmed for either player’s return to competitive action with Trabzonspor.

Trabzonspor have made a perfect start to their Conference League campaign, winning each of their opening two matches. They currently sit third in the league-phase standings with six points.

Freiburg are 18th on three points after recording one victory and one defeat from their first two matches.

Eight clubs, including Trabzonspor, have collected six points after the opening two rounds.