Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Bayer Leverkusen preview: Die Adler out to end winless run

Eintracht Frankfurt will look to end a seven-game winless run when they welcome Bayer Leverkusen to Deutsche Bank Park on Saturday.

Eintracht Frankfurt

Frankfurt interim boss Dennis Schmitt has been unable to spark an upturn in fortunes since being placed in temporary charge following Dino Toppmöller’s dismissal earlier this month. Schmitt started with a dramatic 3-2 defeat against Qarabag in the Champions League, before his side fell to a 3-1 loss in last Saturday’s home clash with Hoffenheim. 

Die Adler experienced another disappointing result in their final Champions League league phase game against Tottenham on Wednesday. Former Frankfurt striker Randal Kolo Muani found the net as Spurs condemned die Adler to a 2-0 loss, making it seven competitive matches since they claimed their most recent win over Augsburg on December 13. 

After seeing the curtain come down on their Champions League campaign, Frankfurt will now focus on their efforts to secure European football for next season. Having collected 27 points from 19 league games, die Adler are sitting in eighth place and five points adrift of the top six ahead of the weekend’s round of action. 

With Leverkusen in sixth spot, a win on Saturday would boost Frankfurt’s European hopes. However, that will be easier than done, especially as they have not beaten die Werkself since running out 5-1 winners in October 2022. 

Team News

Can Uzun will miss a second successive game after picking up an injury in last Saturday’s defeat to Hoffenheim. The hosts are also without Elias Baum, Younes Ebnoutalib, Elias Baum and Jonathan Burkardt.

Predicted lineup: Kauã; Collins, Koch, Theate; Kristensen, Shkhiri, Larsson, Brown; Doan, Götze, Kalimuendo

Bayer Leverkusen

In contrast to Frankfurt, Leverkusen will compete in the Champions League knockout round playoffs after they clinched a top-24 berth with a 3-0 win over Villarreal in midweek. Malik Tillman netted a brace before Álex Grimaldo found the net to wrap up a commanding victory that sent die Werkself up to 16th spot.

Kasper Hjulmand’s side have been drawn against Olympiacos in the playoffs, but their current focus will be on Saturday’s Bundesliga clash. The visitors are targeting back-to-back league wins after claiming a narrow 1-0 victory over Werder Bremen last weekend. However, they have lost two of their previous three away games in the top flight, including their most recent league road trip against Hoffenheim.

Leverkusen can take confidence from the fact that they won their last six meetings with Frankfurt. Grimaldo netted a brace in a 3-1 success in September’s reverse fixture – a game which saw die Werkself reduced to nine players.

Team News

Leverkusen are without the injured trio of Mark Flekken, Nathan Tella and Eliesse Ben Seghir. Meanwhile, Loïc Badé will serve a one-match ban for an accumulation of yellow cards. 

Predicted lineup: Blaswich; Quansah, Andrich, Tapsoba; Vázquez, Aleix García, Maza, Grimaldo; Tillman, Poku, Schick