Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Mainz 05 preview: Can the visitors claim a long-awaited win?
Mainz 05 will look to claim their first win since November when they face Eintracht Frankfurt on Friday.
Eintracht Frankfurt
After beginning 2024 with a 1-0 win over RB Leipzig, Frankfurt missed the chance to build upon that result in last weekend’s meeting with Darmstadt. Die Adler looked to be on course to claim all three points when they established a two-goal lead thank to efforts from Niels Nkounkou and Ansgar Knauff. However, Darmstadt were able to pull a goal back through Julian Justvan, before Christoph Klarer scored a 95th equaliser to deny Frankfurt a third consecutive league victory.
Having picked up 28 points from their 18 league matches, die Adler currently occupy sixth position and five points adrift of the top four. While they will be looking to close that gap, Dino Toppmöller’s side will be looking over their shoulder, with only goal difference separating them from seventh-placed Freiburg.
Frankfurt will be confident about adding to their points tally on Friday, having lost just one of their eight home league games this season (W4, D3). They have also won their previous two home meetings with Mainz, including a commanding 3-0 victory in last season’s home clash.
Team News
There is a chance that Tunisia’s Ellyes Skhiri and Algeria's Farès Chaïbi could return in time for Friday’s contest after their respective countries were knocked out of the Africa Cup of Nations. Meanwhile, Omar Marmoush is still away with Egypt, who are preparing to face DR Congo in Monday’s last-16 clash.
Mainz 05
Mainz are set to return to action for the first time since playing out a 1-1 draw with Wolfsburg on January 13. Jan Siewart's side were due to face Union Berlin last Friday, but the contest was postponed due to the freezing temperatures.
They will be keen to get back on the pitch this Friday, as they look to claim just their second league victory of the season. Having won one, drawn eight and lost eight of their 17 matches, Mainz currently sit in the relegation playoff place with three points separating them from safety.
With their sole league win taking place on home turf, die Nullfünfer are still searching for their first away victory in the Bundesliga since beating RB Leipzig in April. While that poor run of form will be a cause for concern, Mainz have at least proven to be a tough team to beat in recent road trips, having drawn each of their previous six top-flight away matches.
Team News
Nelson Weiper remains sidelined with a knee issue, while Stefan Bell is a doubt due to illness. As for Jae Sung-lee, he is currently representing South Korea at the Asian Cup.