Bayer Leverkusen vs Eintracht Frankfurt preview: Can Die Werkself out-work Frankfurt?
Bayer Leverkusen will be looking for consecutive victories on Monday when they face an Eintracht Frankfurt side that could well be distracted by Thursday's Europa League semi-final contest with West Ham United.
| Patrik Schick. |
Bayer Leverkusen
Leverkusen may sit in third position but a Champions League place is far from secure. Ahead of Monday's contest just a point covers Leverkusen, Freiburg and RB Leizpig.
Although Freiburg have played a game more than Leverkusen and Leipzig, their win over Hoffenheim on Saturday has piled the pressure on Die Werkself.
Gerardo Seoane's side head into the final three matches in fine form after losing just one of their last five matches, while they dispatched Greuther Fürth by 4-1 scoreline in their most recent outing. Jetro Willems gave Fürth the lead within five minutes of kick off, but goals from Patrik Schick, Sardar Azmoun, Paulinho and Exequiel Palacios helped Leverkusen coast to victory.
Despite faring well in recent games, Die Werkself will have to overcome a tricky run-in if they are to qualify for the Champions League, with Hoffenheim and Freiburg still to play after Monday's contest with Frankfurt.
Leverkusen have lost two of their last three home league matches, with Die Werkself failing to score in both of those home defeats.
Although finding the net has not been an issue that has hampered Leverkusen too much this season. In fact, only Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund have scored more league goals than Die Werkself this season.
Team News
Amine Adli, Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz are sidelined for the remainder of the season, while the hosts are also expected to be without the services of Piero Hincapié and Karim Bellarabi due to injury issues.
Eintracht Frankfurt
Frankfurt may physically be at the BayArena on Monday, but it is highly likely that their minds will be focused on Thursday's Europa League semi-final second leg against West Ham.
After winning 2-1 at the London Stadium in midweek, Frankfurt will take a slender lead into the return leg, but before they can prepare for that important clash, they must negotiate another difficult encounter with Leverkusen on Monday.
Die Adler have failed to transfer their European form into Bundesliga matches, with Oliver Glasner's side sitting in tenth position. Qualifying for European competition via the league is off the table, but a win over Leverkusen would ensure that Frankfurt enter the Europa League clash against West Ham with significant momentum.
Although, their recent Bundesliga form suggests that a win on Monday may be tall order. Frankfurt are winless in their last five league matches, while they have won just three league contests in the second half of the season.
Team News
With the semi-final against West Ham at the forefront of his mind, Glasner has indicated that Jesper Lindstrøm, Christopher Lenz, Sebastian Rode and Martin Hinteregger will not feature on Sunday. The visitors are also unable to call upon Rafael Santos Borré, who will serve a one-match suspension for yellow card accumulation.