Position
After Bayern Munich comes Bayer Leverkusen, one big match after the next: Seven days after the 4-0 defeat at the league leaders from Munich, third-placed Eintracht Frankfurt are at home on Saturday night to the team in second and the double winners from Leverkusen. And in another six days there is the first leg in the Round of 16 in the Europa League away to Ajax, who are currently top of the Eredivisie, in Amsterdam. Eintracht Frankfurt face big challenges at home and abroad. The fact the festival weeks got off to a bad start is history and not the end of the world. Eintracht head coach Dino Toppmöller readily admitted they had learned a lesson in Munich after the 4-0 defeat against the record champions. "The approach was that we would play with courage but also with the ball. But then we overstepped the border from courage to naïveté once or twice too often and thereby invited the opponents to score goals," said Toppmöller. Nevertheless, the 44-year-old praised his team: "I'm proud of the lads. The young players have made huge steps in their development." The starting line-up in Munich had an average age of 23.59 due to a number of injuries – and that was one of the youngest Frankfurt teams over the last four decades.
Eintracht can easily get over the defeat at FC Bayern. The season to date has been brilliant for them. With 42 points from 23 games, the Eagles only have one point less than their club record in the 1978/79 and 1989/90 seasons when they would have had 43 points according to the three point rule. Eintracht Frankfurt did experience a slight downturn in December of last year where they went five games across competitions without a win (four defeats, one draw) including the exit from the DFB Pokal away to RB Leipzig (0-3). The defeat in Munich was the first in the league in 2025.
Personnel
Central defender Tuta is ruled out of the game against the Werkself due to suspension. The Brazilian has only missed two games this season – Frankfurt lost both. It remains to be seen if Robin Koch will return to the centre of the defence on Saturday. The Germany international suffered a shoulder injury in the 1-1 draw against Wolfsburg at the start of February and he was only able to return to full training last Wednesday. If he is unable to play against Bayer 04 then Arthur Theate will move into the middle of the defence. Rasmus Kristensen is a number one choice in defence in addition to goalkeeper Kevin Trapp. Mario Götze and Ellyes Skhiri are available to play in midfield. Both were on the bench in Munich as they were not fully fit due to a cold (Götze) and a rib injury (Skhiri). Striker Igor Matanovic (foot) remains sidelined.
It is possible that coach Dino Toppmöller will start winter signing Elye Wahi up front against the Werkself. The 22-year-old Frenchman joined Eintracht Frankfurt from Olympique Marseille and has made three appearances to date from the bench. Another newcomer at Eintracht is the Belgian striker Michy Batshuayi. The 31-year-old was signed from Galatasaray at the start of September and he started alongside Hugo Ekitiké in the 1-1 draw in Mönchengladbach a few days after signing. Batshuayi was at Borussia Dortmund for six months in 2018 where scored nine goals in 14 games for BVB. Together with Wahi, he is supposed to make up for the gap left by the departure of top scorer Omar Marmoush to Manchester City in the winter. "Michy not only has an impressive scoring record but also plenty of experience because he knows almost all of the big European leagues – including the Bundesliga," said Eintracht sporting managing director Markus Krösche. "He has the necessary strength and competitiveness. We are confident he will quickly be able to assume an important role in our young team."
Problems
It will not be easy to compensate for the departure of Omar Marmoush. The Egypt international scored 15 goals in the league in the Hinrunde and he also provided ten assists. The transfer of the prolific striker to the Premier League club Manchester City has brought a lot of money in but it is also a bitter blow for the Eagles at the same time. Michy Batshuayi and Elye Wahi will need time to strengthen the attack as hoped. Eintracht Frankfurt have often proved to be very good in the signing of strikers in the past.
Frankfurt’s passing game has lacked accuracy in some recent matches. "We weren't smart enough and also not clear enough in our attacking game," criticised Toppmöller after the big defeat in Munich. And sporting director Krösche found fault with the lack of penetration in their own game.
Performers
Eintracht Frankfurt have a lot of pace. The forwards Ansgar Knauff, Hugo Ekitiké, Jean-Matteo Bahoya and winter signing Elye Wahi are all extremely quick and can create a lot of danger with penetrating runs and one-on-one duels. Ekitiké is the most successful scorer and provider in the team following the departure of Omar Marmoush with 12 goals and four assists. The mastermind in attacking midfield and World Cup winner Mario Götze is currently irreplaceable for the Eagles. He gives the necessary stability to the very young team with his experience. Alongside him, this season has seen 19-year-old Can Uzun demonstrate his ability in finishing, playing mostly on the left, with four goals to date. With 49 goals scored, Eintracht Frankfurt are the third strongest attacking side in the league after FC Bayern (69) and Bayer 04 (51). And it is no wonder that Eintracht, who have so many fast players, have scored the most goals from counter-attacks (eight) of all the Bundesliga teams. In addition, Eintracht have worked on their failings in set pieces. The Eagles have scored 13 goals from dead balls this season – at the same time last term it was only four goals from set plays. Albeit Omar Marmoush was involved in nine of the current 13 goals from set pieces.
