Eintracht Frankfurt vs Freiburg preview: Is a fifth consecutive draw imminent for the hosts?
Sunday's contest between Eintracht Frankfurt and Freiburg could prove pivotal in the battle for the European places, and the visitors will be hoping to take advantage of a Die Adler team that are gearing up for a trip to the Camp Nou.
Eintracht Frankfurt
Frankfurt may have one eye on the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final tie with Barcelona. However, before they head off the Camp Nou, Die Adler have to negotiate an important league clash against Freiburg.
Oliver Glasner's side sit in ninth place, but they will be aiming to finish inside the top six of the Bundesliga. Die Adler are currently five points adrift of Hoffenheim who occupy sixth place, while a win on Sunday would also close the six-point gap to Freiburg.
Although they may reside in the top half of the league table, Frankfurt's home form this season leaves a lot to be desired. Only Greuther Fürth and Arminia Bielefeld have picked up fewer points at home than Die Adler this season, which will be a cause of concern ahead of Sunday's contest.
The hosts can at least be comforted by the fact that have proven to be a tough team to beat in recent weeks after drawing their last four matches in all competitions.
Team News
Frankfurt are unable to call upon the services of Christopher Lenz, who misses out due to a calf problem, while Diant Ramaj is also an injury absentee. With a trip to the Camp Nou on the horizon, Glasner may be tempted to rest key players ahead of the midweek trip to Spain.
Freiburg
The visitors still harbour top four hopes despite winning just one of their last four matches. Christian Streich will be looking for his side to offer a response this weekend after they suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat away to Bayern Munich in their most recent outing.
Just three points separate Freiburg and the top four, but while they are dreaming of featuring in next season's Champions League, the Breisgau-Brasilianer must also keep an eye on those chasing from behind with Hoffenheim, Union Berlin and FC Köln hot on their heels.
Away fixtures may concern some sides, but Freiburg seem to relish the challenge of picking up points on the road demonstrated by the fact that they hold the fifth best away record in the Bundesliga. They also have the chance to extend their current unbeaten away run to four league games.
Freiburg will also be looking to avenge the 2-0 defeat they suffered at home to Frankfurt in the reverse fixture, and if they are to keep pace with the top four then the visitors can ill-afford a repeat of that scoreline on Sunday.
Team News
The visitors are expected to be without Lukas Kübler, Kevin Schade and Yannik Keitel due to injury issues, while Nils Petersen is pushing for a starting berth after scoring last weekend.