Eintracht Frankfurt vs SC Freiburg preview: The battle for Champions League places heats up

Eintracht Frankfurt

The dazzling footwork and sublime finishing of Omar Marmoush made the difference in the 32nd-minute last Saturday as Eintracht Frankfurt got their 2025 off on the right foot with a 1-0 win over St.Pauli.

Despite links with a big money move to Manchester City, the 25-year-old Egyptian appears to be staying put. “Omar is making a good impression again today, like all the boys. We are pleased that he will be in the starting eleven again tomorrow,” said head coach Dino Toppmöller this morning.

The news comes as a great relief to Die Adler fans given their talisman has bagged 14 goals and 7 assists in 16 Bundesliga outings which only emphasises his importance to the team. 

Much to the delight of Dino Toppmöller, Frankfurt’s injury list is rather short. Aurèle Amenda remains out with a syndesmosis ligament tear which ought to leave him sidelined until February. Meanwhile, 19-year-old winger Jean-Mattéo Bahoya continues to be unavailable after sustaining a broken nose. 

With 4 yellow cards to his name, Brazilian centre-half Tuta teeters on the edge of a suspension. However, Die Adler will be hoping to bag another three points given their fine home record with only one defeat in the last 12 matches played at the Deutsche Bank Park.

Team News

Dino Toppmöller is not expected to make wholesale changes to his winning formula from last weekend. German shot-stopper Kevin Trapp will seek defensive solidity from their 4-man defence set to include Rasmus Kristensen, Robin Koch, Tuta and Arthur Theate. 

The middle third of Die Adler’s 4-4-2 will likely consist of Hugo Larsson and Ellyes Skhiri with Mario Götze to the right and Nathaniel Brown on the left wing. 

Up front, the formidable strike partnership of Hugo Ekitiké and Omar Marmoush ought to be more than a handful for a visiting Freiburg side. 

SC Freiburg

Julian Schuster’s men appeared to be cruising on the weekend with a three-goal lead entering the final act against Holstein Kiel. However, there were more than a few startled faces both on and off the Europa-Park Stadion pitch as a Phil Harres brace gave them a scare before SCF hung on for a 3-2 victory. 

Club captain Christian Günter found the net with a sublime freekick from an awkward angle but remained slightly critical of his team at full-time. “We let ourselves be pushed in at the back and had no more order [on the game]. Fortunately, we managed to get time, but this shouldn’t happen to us,” the 31-year-old full-back added. 

Once again, the devilish duo of Vincenzo Grifo and Ritsu Dōan combined which will boost the visitor’s confidence as the pair look set to continue their form into 2025. The Italian is the clear architect in the Breisgauers’ ranks with 5 goals and 7 assists in 16 appearances.

On the personnel front, Freiburg travel to the Hessen state in relatively good health. Philipp Lienhart missed out on Saturday with an infection and continues to remain a doubt for Tuesday. Other long-term absentees include Daniel-Kofi Kyereh (knee surgery) and Bruno Ogbus (Achilles tendon rupture). 

Team News

In Julian Schuster’s preferred 4-2-3-1 setup, Noah Atubolu continues to get the nod between the posts. An unchanged back-four looks set to remain with Lukas Kübler and Christian Günter either side of Matthias Ginter and Max Rosenfelder. 

The double-six pairing of Merlin Röhl and Maximilian Eggestein should bolster the attack-minded trio of Ritsu Dōan, Eren Dinkçi and Vincenzo Grifo. 

Freiburg have struggled for consistency up front, but it appears Lucas Höler will lead the line for the visitors tomorrow evening.