A defeat at Deutsche Bank Park on Sunday against visitors Union Berlin could see fourth-placed Eintracht Frankfurt end the weekend outside of the Bundesliga‘s four Champions League spots.
The hosts lost 4-1 against Bayer Leverkusen on March 1 and their tally of 42 points is only two more than fifth-placed Freiburg, while Union are fifth last in 14th place with 23 points were beaten 1-0 by Holstein Kiel on March 2.
Match preview
© Imago
Eintracht Frankfurt conceded three times between the 26th and 33rd minutes in a first-half rout, and though they netted a consolation goal in before the interval, they only produced three tame shots from difficult angles in wide positions in the second half.
The Eagles also conceded four goals against Bayern Munich in their prior league fixture on February 23, and have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last eight in all competitions.
Dino Toppmoller‘s side did triumph 2-1 against Ajax in the first leg of their Conference League round of 16 clash on Thursday, a game in which they had to come from behind after 10 minutes.
Eintracht Frankfurt’s grip on the Champions League qualification spots is now far from certain, with just seven points separating them from 10th-placed Borussia Dortmund.
Toppmoller’s team have struggled domestically, with the club losing their past two matches in the Bundesliga and drawing three of their previous four.
The Eagles’ defeat at the hands of Leverkusen was their first at home in six outings – winning four in that time – and they have achieved victory in 11 of their 17 games at Deutsche Bank Park this season while only losing twice.
© Imago
Opponents Union suffered a potentially damaging defeat against 17th-placed Holstein Kiel, who occupy the second of two automatic relegation spots, and fans will be concerned that their side failed to create a single big chance.
The visitors boast a six-point advantage over 16th-placed VfL Bochum, who will be placed in a relegation playoff tie at the end of the season as things stand, but four of Union’s next five fixtures are against the division’s top five.
Die Eisernen managed to earn a 1-1 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt in the league on October 27, but they failed to score in 11 of their subsequent 17 matches.
Boss Steffen Baumgart‘s side have been beaten in their three most recent fixtures, and have in fact lost 13 of their last 17 games.
Union’s form on the road is also poor considering they they have a record of eight defeats in their past nine away outings, a period in which they conceded 24 goals.
Team News
© Imago
Eintracht Frankfurt have numerous injury concerns and will be without centre-backs Aurele Amenda and Robin Koch, as well as wing-backs Ansgar Knauff and Junior Dina Ebimbe.
Expect Rasmus Kristensen, Tuta and Arthur Theate to be stationed between wide defenders Nathaniel Brown and Nnamdi Collins.
Midfielder Ellyes Skhiri will miss out due to suspension, and that could mean Oscar Hojlund and Hugo Larsson start in the middle of the pitch on Sunday.
In attack, Mario Gotze and Can Uzun could support striker Hugo Ekitike given Igor Matanovic and Timothy Chandler have been ruled out.
As for Union, centre-back Oluwaseun Ogbemudia‘s foot injury is likely to sideline him until late March.
However, Baumgart will be able to select regulars Danilho Doekhi, Leopold Querfeld and Diogo Leite to play in his backline.
Midfielder Aljoscha Kemlein has been ruled out for the rest of the season, so perhaps Rani Khedira and Lucas Tousart will feature together on the weekend behind forwards Woo-Yeong Jeong, Andrej Ilic and Benedict Hollerbach.
Eintracht Frankfurt possible starting lineup:
Trapp; Kristensen, Tuta, Theate; Collins, Hojlund, Larsson, Brown; Gotze, Uzun; Ekitike
Union Berlin possible starting lineup:
Ronnow; Doekhi, Querfeld, Leite; Juranovic, Khedira, Tousart, Rothe; Jeong, Ilic, Hollerbach
We say: Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 Union Berlin
Though Eintracht Frankfurt have struggled in recent weeks, their record at Deutsche Bank Park is phenomenal.
Union’s performances on the road have been concerning, as has their overall form, and they could find it difficult to avoid defeat on Sunday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
