Latest News

Our postponed match against Aberdeen will take place on Tuesday 15 September. 

Kick off is 7:45pm at Fir Park.

The match was originally due to take place on Saturday 22 August, but was postponed due to our participation in the UEFA Conference League.

Tickets for our trip to Paisley on Sunday 30 August are now on sale.

You can buy yours by CLICKING HERE.

Prices:

• Adults -£29
• Concessions-£19 (over 65, 18yr-21yr and Full-Time Student)
• Junior (12yr-17yr) – £13
• Under 12s-£7** with an Adult
• Wheelchair and PA -£19

These tickets are physical, so will either need to be collected at Fir Park prior to the game, or posted out. The last day for postage will be Tuesday 25^th of August.

Motherwell gave absolutely everything as they pushed last season’s Europa League finalists all the way, with the German side eventually defeating ten-man Motherwell 3-1 on the night. 

Freiburg knew that they were in a game from the second minute when Regan Charles-Cook fired the Steelmen in front. It took the Bundesliga side almost half an hour to find the equaliser through Matthias Ginter from a free-kick, before a penalty on the hour mark converted by Ginter and a red card for Martin Moorman gave the Germans a huge advantage.

Well bravely limited them to that single goal lead until the final minute of added time when Keisuke Goto’s header made it 3-1 and gave the Germans a scoreline that was a bit harsh on the Fir Park men.

Following the exit in the Premier Sports Cup against Stenhousemuir, it was a more recognisable starting 11 for Alfred Johansson. There was space on the bench for new signing Seb Palmer-Houlden, who joined the club earlier this week. Stephen O’Donnell was back on the bench following his injury sustained against AGF Aarhus back in July.

Fir Park was once again bouncing for more European action, and the players reacted to the atmosphere with the fastest of starts.

Hodge’s pass down the left channel sent Emmanuel Longelo towards the visitor’s box, and when he whipped a low ball across Mio Backhaus’ goal, Charles-Cook guided into the keeper’s left-hand corner a superb goal and opening to the tie.

That clearly stunned the Germans, who took ten minutes to recover and test Alex Paulsen with a low drive from Ginter. SC Freiburg continued to probe when Hodge was booked for a sliding recovery tackle on the edge of the box, despite it looking like the midfielder got the ball. Derry Scherhant stepped up and got the ball up and over the wall, but the ball came crashing off the top of the post.

Paulsen knew he would be in for a busy night, but the New Zealand international remained sharp between the posts and produced another smart diving save that denied Yuito Suzuki as the Fir Park side struggled to get up the pitch.

Eventually, however, the game was level. Following the award of a free-kick on the left-hand side, the whipped delivery came into the penalty box with Ginter rising highest to guide the ball beyond Paulsen.

A long VAR check would follow, but the goal would stand, and Freiburg were now level. Paulsen did well to keep the game level when he used one hand to prevent Igor Matanovic. But the game remained at 1-1 going into the half-time interval.

New signing Seb Palmer-Houlden was brought on during the break, in place of goalscorer Regan Charles-Cook. For the first 15 minutes of the second period, the Steelmen continued to compete against the Bundesliga side, with very little goalmouth action at either end of the pitch.

But the context of the tie switched on the hour mark. Freiburg showed their quick pace going forward as they broke from the halfway line towards the net; Matanovic latched onto a pass in behind Knight-Lebel. Moormann chased back, and with the slightest of touches on his shoulder, the Freiburg attacker fell to the ground before getting a shot away, and the referee pointed to the spot.

With Ginter set to take the spot kick, the referee was made to hold play up as VAR checked for a potential red card. Moormann’s initial yellow card was upgraded to a red, with Ginter then dispatching the penalty past Paulsen, who guessed the right way.

That forced a double substitution in the 70th minute, Ewan Wilson to restore the back four at the expense of Lowry and Willy Vogt for the hard-working Maswanhise.

The Fir Park crowd continued to sing despite the clear and evident setback, but Motherwell battled on valiantly and stuck to their game plan. As the game neared its conclusion, Freiburg were awarded a corner in the 95th minute as the Steelmen had to remain switched on for one last time.

A curling delivery arrived in the box and found Goto unmarked, who made no mistake with his header and opened up a two-goal advantage going into the second leg.

Fir Park rose to its feet to applaud an outstanding effort from Motherwell, who, despite playing a man down, showed bravery and courage against one of Europe’s finest sides.

Motherwell Team: Paulsen, Girdwood-Reich, Knight-Lebel, Moormann, Longelo, Hodge, Fadinger, Lowry, Said, Maswanhise, Charles-Cook.

Motherwell Subs: Connelly, McConnell, O’Donnell, Wilson, McAllister, Whyte, Ross, Booth, Vogt, Thomson, Watson, Palmer-Houlden.

Alfred Johansson gives his verdict on the first leg defeat to SC Freiburg.

An easy to read guide on all things matchday related ahead of our match against SC Frieburg.

Kick off is 7:30pm.

Tickets

The Tommy McLean stand is open for home supporters to buy tickets.

The John Hunter Stand and Davie Cooper Stands are sold out, with extremely limited tickets available in the Phil O’Donnell Stand.

You can buy your tickets by CLICKING HERE.

The Ticket Office is open from 9am until kick off.

How to Watch

Our UEFA Conference League match against SC Freiburg will be available to watch via SolidSport.

The match is available to watch for £12.

You are able to purchase your matchday pass by CLICKING HERE.

Travel

We encourage supporters to arrive earlier than usual with a large home support expected.

Please plan your journey accordingly.

Other Information

For supporters seated in the Tommy McLean Stand, enter via turnstiles one and two and follow steward directions. These turnstiles will be open from 6:45pm.

Kiosks and toilets will be open.

There is a tifo prepared by our supporters for the players coming out the tunnel. At 6pm, supporters will be walking from Motherwell town centre up to Fir Park.

We want to remind all supporters that unacceptable conduct will not be tolerated. We ask all supporters to enjoy the match responsibly.

In UEFA matches, UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body can issue and distribute a range of punishments against the football club, including fines, partial stadium bans, away ticket bans, etc.

The club has been fined over €20,000 so far during our Conference League matches. These fines have been distributed due to crowd-related issues that have been flagged by UEFA. Just one supporter coming over the barrier at the front of the stand constitutes a pitch incursion, and the club will be sanctioned once again.

We appeal to all our supporters to please adhere to all stadium guidelines to avoid further financial punishment for the club.

The use of pyrotechnics, pitch incursions, throwing objects, use of laser pointers and any discriminatory behaviour can result in any individual receiving a club ban, a football banning order as well as harsher punishments. We encourage all supporters to get behind the team on what is a huge European night for the football club in a safe and responsible manner.

Food & Drink

Mrs Baillie’s Fanzone will be open from 5pm for home fans only. Singer Niamh Morris will be providing live entertainment from 5:30pm.

The Cooper Bar will be open from 5pm for home fans only, providing food and drink. It will also be open for one hour post-match for those looking to avoid the traffic.

All kiosks will be open in the home stands. Card and cash are accepted.

Weather Forecast

The current forecast is to be a mostly dry evening in North Lanarkshire with light showers and a moderate breeze. Temperatures expected to be around 15 degrees come kick off.

Jake Girdwood-Reich previews the task of taking SC Freiburg, stating it’ll be one of the toughest games he’s ever been involved in.

The centre-back talks about his first few weeks in Scotland how and how he’s settling into life in ML1.

Alfred Johansson discusses Sunday’s disappointing result and how he wants his team to approach the game against Bundesliga side SC Freiburg in the UEFA Conference League playoff round. 

Johansson addresses his team selection and criticism he received following the exit to Stenhousemuir.

Alfred Johansson provided a squad update ahead of the UEFA Conference League playoff first leg match against SC Freiburg.

“Since last week, Oscar [Priestman] and Johnny [Koutroumbis] have been added to the list of load-related injury problems,” the Motherwell manager confirmed.

“They will be out for some time. We don’t know exactly the extent of it.

“Tom [Sparrow] is still suffering from the knock he got against Falkirk. It’s an unusual place where he got the hit, so we have to monitor it day-by-day, week-by-week. Right now, it’s too sore. We’ll have to assess him.

“We’re hoping he’ll [Seb Palmer-Houlden] be involved tomorrow. We’re waiting on international clearance; it should be very doable.”

Stephen O’Donnell, Eythor Bjørgolfsson and Apostolos Stamatelopoulos have all been added to our UEFA squad list for the playoff round.

Whilst they’re included in the overall squad list, Johansson confirmed that Bjørgolfsson and Stamatelopoulos are only building up in training and won’t be available tomorrow night, with the Motherwell manager stating that the three players being named in the squad list does not guarantee their inclusion in matchday squads for either leg.

Seb Palmer-Houlden has joined the club on a three-year deal from Gillingham for an undisclosed fee.

The striker arrives for a second stint in Scotland following a season with Dundee in 2024/25.

“We’ve been looking to strengthen in the forward areas, and Seb is a perfect addition,” Alfred Johansson said.

“With experience here in Scotland, Seb has been playing and scoring at his previous clubs and offers pace, strength and versatility in the forward line. We hope to be able to include him in our Conference League squad for the matches against SC Freiburg.

“The squad has come together nicely, and with some players working their way back from injury, we will have real competition across the pitch in all positions.”

Palmer-Houlden joined the Bristol City Academy at the age of eight and remained with the Robins until 2025. His time at City included a number of loan moves, including to Chippenham Town, Yeovil, Newport County and Dundee. His time with Chippenham and Yeovil was brief, but his big breakthrough came with Newport County in 2023/24.

Playing 42 games, the forward scored nine goals, with his side finishing mid-table and Palmer-Houlden winning Newport County Young Player of the Year.

Palmer-Houlden then joined Dundee on loan for the 24/25 season and made a fast start in the City of Discovery, scoring five goals in his first seven games. Starting 20 of his 39 appearances during his year in Scotland, his performances earned him a permanent move from Bristol City to Gillingham for an undisclosed fee last summer.

His full season at Priestfield Stadium saw him feature 35 times, which included finding the back of the net five times. He played two games this season for the League Two side before penning a two-year deal with the Steelmen.

“I’m so happy to be back in Scotland and, most importantly, at Motherwell,” said Seb Palmer-Houlden.

“It’s no secret about how well this club is doing right now, and the people I’ve spoken to within the club have been so friendly and helpful. It’s already feeling like such a family club.

“Speaking to the manager, he’s made it clear what he wants me to do, and that clarity is so important. I think every footballer would want to play in a team like this, so I feel really privileged to be given this opportunity.

“We have a massive game on Thursday night here, and I can’t wait to see this stadium packed out.”

Ticket and match information have now been confirmed for the second leg of our UEFA Conference League tie against SC Freiburg. 

The match will kick off at 18:45pm local time at the Europa-Park-Stadion. (5:45pm UK Time)

Tickets are on sale and can buy yours by CLICKING HERE.

Supporters can buy a maximum of four tickets per order. We have been given over 2000 tickets to sell.

Prices

Stadium Information

• The stadium and ticket offices open 2 hours before kick-off.
• At the Europa-Park Stadium, payment is possible in cash or by card.
• Next to the ticket office at entrance E4, there is a bag drop-off option.
• Travel information to the stadium can be found here: [Anreise & Parken | SC Freiburg]
• The stadium regulations can be found here: [Stadionordnung | SC Freiburg]