Frankfurt vs. Gladbach preview: Can Eintracht stop the bleeding?
Gladbach are off to the Deutsche Bank Park on Saturday evening for a contest between two clubs in trouble with several key players leaving on free moves this summer.
| Tuta. | Photo: Sven Mandel, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 |
Frankfurt
Although they’re into the DFB-Pokal semis, Eintracht are reeling in league play and haven’t won a match in nearly two months. They’re now in 7th place and rapidly falling out of the European places.
There are many concerns over the squad’s future as several players could join Daichi Kamada and Evan Ndicka to jump ship this summer. Frankfurt desperately need a win this weekend to improve their chances at holding onto some players and their trainer.
In his press conference, Oliver Glasner said, "Junior (Dina Ebimbe) is ready to return to the starting XI. Whether he can last 90 minutes and what position he’ll play in, I can’t tell you yet. (Christopher) Lenz could start in the middle. That would mean playing a right-footer on the left wing.”
Team News
Philipp Max is out for the foreseeable future after picking up a thigh injury in training this week and Ndicka is questionable. Jesper Lindstrøm and Hrvoje Smolcic remain out with injuries, Mario Götze is suspended, but Kristijan Jakic is expected to be fit.
Frankfurt will travel to Stuttgart in the semifinals of the DFB-Pokal set on May 2nd.
Gladbach
Die Fohlen finally picked up three points last weekend against Wolfsburg following their previous win that dates all the way back to mid-February. But, it’s been quite the week for the 10th-place side.
Gladbach announced that stars Marcus Thuram, Ramy Bensebaini and Lars Stindl are leaving the club on free transfers this summer. Many supporters are extremely concerned with the club’s future as Sporting Director Roland Virkus faces a difficult road ahead.
In more head-scratching news, defender Marvin Friedrich gave an interview to Sport Bild earlier this week stating his dissatisfaction with his current role. The former Union player has been stuck behind Ko Itakura and Nico Elvedi in the rotation and is begging for more playing time.
In response, Daniel Farke said, "We have to look at the facts. We have conceded 19 goals in 10 games with Friedrich in the starting lineup. In the games without him, we let in significantly less. You're always going to field the guys you feel will keep things tight at the back and guarantee points."
Team News
Elvedi is questionable with ligament issues, but Joe Scally will be a squad selection after training this week. It’s still unclear if Tony Jantschke is ready to be included back in the team.