Eintracht Frankfurt vs. RB Leipzig preview: Die Adler hoping to seal sixth spot
Photo: Biso, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 |
Eintracht Frankfurt
Frankfurt have found wins hard to come by in the latter stages of the season. In fact, they have won just one of their previous eight matches, with that sole victory taking place against Augsburg last month. Since that win, die Adler have lost consecutive games against Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen, before playing out a 1-1 draw in their recent meeting with Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Die Adler may have experienced an underwhelming run of form, but they are still well set to finish the campaign in sixth position. They will enter the final matchday with a three-point cushion over seventh-placed Hoffenheim. As a result, Frankfurt need just one point to guarantee a sixth-place finish. Even if they lose, Hoffenheim would need to win and produce a three-swing to overtake Dino Toppmöller’s side. Frankfurt will be fully aware that sixth could become a Champions League qualification spot if Borussia Dortmund beat Real Madrid in next month’s final.
Saturday’s hosts will also be motivated by the prospect of completing a league double over Leipzig. An Ansgar Knauff strike proved enough to clinch a 1-0 victory in January’s reverse fixture.
Team News
Saša Kalajdžić and Mehdi Loune are both ruled out due to knee injuries.
RB Leipzig
Having picked up 64 points from 33 matches, Leipzig are guaranteed to finish the campaign in fourth spot. Although the top five will qualify for the Champions League, Leipzig can still be proud of the fact they have secured a top-four finish for a sixth consecutive season.
Die Roten Bullen have had to settle for 1-1 draws in their last two outings against Hoffenheim and Werder Bremen. Last weekend, Benjamin Šeško netted a second-half equaliser to cancel out Bremen’s lead, ensuring Leipzig took a point from their final home game of the season. While they have drawn the last two matches, those results have extended Leipzig’s unbeaten run to 11 matches in all competitions.
Marco Rose’s side have fared well in recent away games, having won four of their last five league games on the road. However, they are still waiting to claim their first competitive away win over Frankfurt, having drawn four and lost four of their previous eight trips to Deutsche Bank Park.
Team News
Leipzig are expected to be without Christopher Lenz, David Raum, Dani Olmo and Xaver Schlager.