Frankfurt vs. Bochum preview: Can Eintracht bounce back?
Frankfurt host Bochum on Saturday afternoon, as they hope to return to winning ways after a shock loss against Köln last week.
| Kevin Trapp. | Photo: Sven Mandel, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 |
Frankfurt
Eintracht look destined for a return to European football next season as they sit comfortably at 6th in the table. However, they are a bit hampered this weekend with several key players suspended due to red cards received against the Billy Goats on Matchday 20.
Philipp Max should receive a starting nod at left-back, while the midfield trio of Götze, Larsson and Skhiri should continue. Their schedule is about to heat up with the Conference League returning next week, although their next five Bundesliga games look very winnable against teams all below them in the league table.
In his presser, Dino Toppmöller said, “First and foremost, we want to show a reaction to the poor display at Köln and get the crowd behind us from the start with our first actions. - Our recent home record is impressive and we want to continue to make (Deutsche Bank Park) a fortress.”
Team News
Toppmöller confirmed that Omar Marmoush will return to the starting lineup. Junior Dina Ebimbe and Mehdi Loune are out. Tuta and Niels Nkounkou are suspended, while Sasa Kalajdzic and Aurelio Buta are questionable.
Bochum
It’s fair to say that Bochum have slightly exceeded expectations again this season, as they sit ahead of the relegation places in 14th place. Their key has been a decent home record, yet they’ve struggled on the road having won just one game away from home this season.
New signing Philipp Hofmann came off the bench last week in their draw against Augsburg, but it’s unclear if he’s ready to start on Saturday. Takuma Asano should immediately return to the starting lineup and provide a big boost for the 4th-worst offensive attack in the league.
Thomas Letsch commented, “Of course, it won't be easy. Frankfurt play well from the back and have a lot of possession. There is a lot of quality there, especially with the new arrivals and those returning from the AFCON.”
Team News
Bruno Esser, Mo Tolba and Michael Esser are the only confirmed absentees.