Our next opponents: the two faces of Eintracht Frankfurt

POSITION

A bang, a statement, a coup – whatever you want to call the stunning 5-1 win against Bayern last weekend, the surprising success was certainly one thing: proof of the great potential that this Eintracht team have. They’ve not always been able to bring that to the pitch this season, though. "We did the divas proud," said coach Dino Toppmöller after the memorable match against the German record champions. In fact, Eintracht have once again shown two extremely different faces over the past week. First the unconvincing performance in the 2-1 defeat in Augsburg, then the DFB Cup exit at the hands of third-division side 1. FC Saarbrücken, where the cup finalists from the previous season disappointed across the board with a 2-0 defeat. And before that, Eintracht had already lost two home games against VfB Stuttgart and PAOK from Greece by a 2-1 scoreline. The omens were not good after four defeats in a row. And then the Eagles not only inflicted a first Bundesliga defeat of the season on FCB: they literally tore the visitors to shreds. Frankfurt succeeded in all aspects of the game that day. "It was important to show a reaction – and the reaction was there right from the start, even in the first few minutes," praised Toppmöller. "You could see that the lads were on fire. That's exactly what I asked for before the game." Frankfurt led 3-0 after just 36 minutes.

Last Thursday's UEFA Conference League match at Aberdeen, on the other hand, was not so pleasing. Even before the game, second place in the group had already been decided for Eintracht. In that respect, the result didn’t hurt the Hessians. However, Toppmöller was not at all happy with the performance of his team, to which he had implemented six changes in comparison to the Bayern game: "Unfortunately, it was too little from one or two players." In the play-offs of the knockout round (15-22 February), Frankfurt will now play a third-placed team from the UEFA Europa League for a place in the round of 16.

PERSONNEL

The trip to Scotland was not only disappointing in sporting terms. It also left Toppmöller with some injury concerns ahead of Sunday. Versatile midfielder Eric Junior Dina Ebimbe injured his foot in the early stages of the game and had to be substituted after just under ten minutes, while goalkeeper Kevin Trapp remained in the dressing room at half-time due to back problems. It remains to be seen whether the two will be able to play at the BayArena. It is certain that centre-forward Omar Marmoush will not be able to play against the Werkself due to his fifth yellow card from the game against Bayern. The Egyptian's suspension hurts the Eagles, as Marmoush is Eintracht's top goal and assist provider with seven goals and four assists in the league. The 24-year-old has netted 12 goals in all competitions. As a one-to-one replacement for Marmoush, Jessic Ngankam started up front against Aberdeen. However, the 23-year-old former Hertha player failed to impress, so it’s quite possible that Toppmöller will opt for a ‘false nine’ in Leverkusen. Candidates for this would be Fares Chaibi, who moved from FC Toulouse to the Main in the summer, or Mario Götze. With that said, Chaibi had to withdraw from Aberdeen at short notice due to illness.

The Eintracht coach will have to do without captain Sebastian Rode in Leverkusen, who has not played in the league since the beginning of September due to a tendon injury in his calf. Central midfielder Ellyes Skhiri also had to take a break recently due to a thigh injury but has been back in training since midweek. The Tunisian could possibly get some minutes on the pitch in the BayArena.

STRENGTHS

One of SGE's strengths is their ability to counterattack after winning back possession, something they twice demonstrated in textbook fashion against Bayern with the goals by Dina Ebimbe and Hugo Larsson. Another of Eintracht's trump cards is their clinical conversion of chances: the Eagles have top marks in the Bundesliga in this statistic. The game in Aberdeen, in which Eintracht missed many good scoring opportunities, should be the exception to the rule. For the most part, they’ve been efficient up front and stable at the back this season. Eintracht have conceded the fourth-fewest goals of all teams. Germany goalkeeper Kevin Trapp has only had to make 16 saves so far, which is only four more than Bayer 04 keeper Lukas Hradecky, who is between the sticks for the team with the strongest defence in the league.

The Eagles are now defending much better, especially from set pieces, a weak point in their game in the previous season. They have only conceded four goals from set pieces in their 14 games so far, compared to 19 last term. In addition to keeper Trapp, two new signings have guaranteed their solidness in the back line: centre-back Robin Koch was loaned from Leeds United and holding midfielder Ellyes Skhiri joined from 1. FC Köln.

WEAKNESSES

Frankfurt had to make some changes at the start of the season following the departure of a number of key players. Randal Kolo Muani, top scorer in the previous season, only moved to Paris Saint-Germain at the beginning of September, for example. "It was a complicated initial phase with many personnel changes," says Toppmöller. That's why it's also normal to suffer the odd setback and fluctuations in performance. The latter may also be related to the performance gap in the squad. Games like the one at Aberdeen show that the ‘other side’ to Eintracht is still not quite right.

PREDICTION

After the win against Bayern, Dino Toppmöller hoped to "take hold of the positive energy and push the feeling forward" in order to go into the final fixtures of the calendar year with a tailwind. The trip to Leverkusen is followed by a home game against Borussia Mönchengladbach. Frankfurt would like to climb at least one more place in the table, then they could spend the winter in a spot which would secure them European football next season. Toppmöller is convinced of his team's mentality and willingness to fight and left no doubt about this, even during their weaker spell. "It's important that we don't fall into depression when we lose and that we don't get into mega euphoria when we play like we did against Bayern. Always keep our feet on the ground," is the coach's maxim. He wants his team to remain grounded on Sunday in the BayArena and do without their diva-like tendencies.