Hamburger SV vs. Eintracht Frankfurt preview: Die Adler eyeing back-to-back wins

Hamburg

Hamburg are sitting in 14th place and four points above the bottom three after winning four, drawing three and losing seven of their 14 Bundesliga matches this season. HSV recently claimed back-to-back league wins for the first time this term, beating Stuttgart 2-1 at the end of November before claiming a 3-2 victory in their most recent home outing against Werder Bremen.

However, they were unable to record a third consecutive victory, as they fell to a heavy 4-1 defeat away to Hoffenheim last weekend. That result represented Hamburg’s fifth defeat in seven Bundesliga road trips (D2), leaving them with the worst away record in the division.

They will now return to the familiar surroundings of Volksparkstadion, where they will look to record a third consecutive home league win. However, Hamburg’s record against Frankfurt suggests that claiming all three points will prove tricky, considering their last head-to-head win took place back in January 2011.

Team News

HSV will be unable to call upon Warmed Omari, Alexander Røssing-Lelesiit, Robert Glatzel, Yussuf Poulsen and Jean-Luc Dompé. Meanwhile, there are doubts surrounding Guilherme Ramos and Fábio Vieira’s availability due to illness.

Predicted lineup: Fernandes; Capaldo, Vušković, Torunarigha; Gocholeishvili, Lokonga, Remberg, Muheim; Philippe, Baldé, Königsdörffer

Frankfurt

After going four competitive games without a win, Frankfurt bounced back with a narrow 1-0 victory in last Saturday’s home clash against Augsburg. Ritsu Doan’s 68th-minute effort proved enough to seal Frankfurt’s third win in their past four home league matches. Die Adler would have also been pleased with a much-needed clean sheet, considering they currently have the second-worst defensive record in the division. 

Having picked up 24 points from 14 matches, Dino Toppmöller’s side will head into the final matchday of 2025 in seventh position and just a point adrift of the top six. Frankfurt will be hoping to add three more points to their tally in their first meeting with Hamburg since running out 3-0 winners in May 2018. They have also won four of their previous six head-to-head away matches, including their last two visits to the Volksparkstadion.

The first could be crucial to Frankfurt’s hopes of victory, having won all six league games in which they have scored the opener this season. 

Team News

Frankfurt are without the injured trio of Timothy Chandler, Jonathan Burkardt and Michy Batshuayi, while Elye Wahi is unavailable due to illness. Tunisia’s Ellyes Skhiri and 

Algeria’s Farès Chaïbi have linked up with their respective nations ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations. As for Arthur Theate, he will serve a one-match ban for an accumulation of yellow cards. 

Predicted lineup: Zetterer; Collins, Koch, Amenda; Kristensen, Dahoud, Larsson, Brown; Doan, Uzun; Knauff