Eintracht Frankfurt vs Mainz 05 preview: Can die Adler end wait for a league win?
Eintracht Frankfurt will attempt to claim a Bundesliga victory for the first time since February 18 when they play host to Mainz 05 on Saturday.
Eintracht Frankfurt
Frankfurt experienced another poor result in the Bundesliga last weekend, as they fell to a 3-1 away defeat against Hoffenheim. First-half strikes from Christoph Baumgartner, Andrej Kramarić and Ihlas Bebou put Hoffenheim in complete control, and although Mario Götze pulled a goal back in the 54th minute, there was no way back for Frankfurt.
The disappointing result extended Frankfurt’s winless league run to 10 matches, and the poor run of form seemingly played a part in the decision to part ways with Glasner at the end of the season.
The Frankfurt boss will be hoping to enjoy a fairytale ending when die Adler face RB Leipzig in next month’s DFB-Pokal final.
With five points separating them from the top six, the Pokal also represents Frankfurt’s best chance of qualifying for European football, but before they can focus on that important contest, they must negotiate three Bundesliga fixtures against Mainz, Schalke and Freiburg.
Although Frankfurt have drawn their last four home league games, they are unbeaten in eight Bundesliga matches at Deutsche Bank Park, which will provide them with a source of inspiration ahead of Saturday’s encounter.
Team News
Kristijan Jakic, Philipp Max and Hrvoje Smolcic will miss out through injury, while there are doubts over the availability of Lucas Alario and Tuta.
As for Rafael Santos Borré, he will serve a one-match suspension after he picked up his fifth yellow card of the season last weekend.
Mainz 05
Mainz European push has been halted in recent weeks, with their last five games yielding just one victory. They have also lost their previous two matches, conceding three goals in defeats to Wolfsburg and Schalke 04.
They looked on course to pick up a point in their home meeting with Schalke last weekend, coming from behind on two occasions thanks to efforts from Leandro Barreiro and Aarón Martín. However, Marius Bülter snatched all three points in the 12th minute of stoppage time, dispatching his spot-kick to score his second goal of the game and wrap up a 3-2 victory.
Fortunately for Bo Svensson’s side, Wolfsburg and Bayer Leverkusen also lost on matchday 31, ensuring the gap to the top six remains at three points.
With three games left to play, Mainz know that wins are needed if they are to qualify for European competition. Claiming all three points on Saturday may prove difficult though, as Mainz have failed to win any of their last five Bundesliga games against Frankfurt.
Team News
Mainz are unable to call upon Silvan Widmer and Jonathan Burkardt due to ankle and knee injuries respectively. Dominik Kohr and Barreiro are both suspended for an accumulation of yellow cards.