Frankfurt vs. Dortmund preview: A top of the table battle
5th-place BVB travel to 4th-place Frankfurt on Saturday evening in a major clash between two Champions League clubs.
| Kevin Trapp. | Photo: Sven Mandel, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 |
Eintracht Frankfurt
Oliver Glasner's side are really finding their form at the moment with a winning streak of four competitive games, including a massive victory over Marseille on Wednesday. With 24 goals tallied in league play on the season, Frankfurt have the second-best offensive record behind Bayern.
Assist king Randal Kolo Muani has taken the reins up front, while Jesper Lindstrøm and Daichi Kamada have played admirably behind him. Kristijan Jakic is substituting well in center defense, while PSG loanee Junior Dina Ebimbe is starting to impress on the right wing.
Glasner commented that, “We obviously want to get the win at home, but Dortmund have regained momentum of late. Both teams like to attack and Borussia are very strong on the counter. We have to be on our guard.”
Team News
Tuta, Sebastian Rode and Mario Götze have been guaranteed starting spots by Glasner. Luca Pellegrini is likely to feature at left-back and Almamy Toure will return to the bench.
Dortmund loanee Ansgar Knauff won't be back until next week. Makoto Hasebe, Christopher Lenz and Aurelio Buta are not available.
Borussia Dortmund
BVB are coming off a dominating victory over Stuttgart last weekend and a draw to Manchester City midweek, which saw them through to the Champions League round of 16. Mats Hummels is standing strong in center defense and Niklas Süle is looking comfortable in his new right-back role.
Dortmund have already dropped too many points in league play thus far and sit a full game behind their archrivals in Bavaria. This will be Anthony Modeste's 200th Bundesliga appearance, but Youssoufa Moukoko is likely to receive a starting nod.
Edin Terzic stated that, "(Frankfurt's) offense is extremely dangerous. They're very brave in tackling and defending. That speaks to a lot of confidence. The club has developed an extraordinary dynamic in recent years."
He added: "In the Bundesliga, we have to make up points. Therefore, it is not difficult to keep the motivation high.”
Team News
Raphael Guerreiro has been ruled out, while Marco Reus is doubtful to play. Mateu Morey, Thomas Meunier, Mahmoud Dahoud, Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and Sebastien Haller remain on the injury list.
