Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Wolfsburg preview: Two teams in need of a victory
Eintracht Frankfurt and Wolfsburg will both look to end their respective winless runs when they go head-to-head at Deutsche Bank Park on Sunday.
| Photo: Biso, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 |
Eintracht Frankfurt
Frankfurt experienced disappointment in midweek, with their Europa Conference League campaign coming to an end in the knockout round playoffs. Their tie with Union Saint-Gilloise was finely poised ahead of the second leg after the two sides played out a 2-2 draw in Belgium. Cameron Puertas gave Union Saint-Gilloise the lead in the opening stages of the second half, before Dennis Eckert added to the Belgian’s side advantage in the 87th minute. Although Éric Junior Dina Ebimbe pulled a goal back, it proved too little too late as Dino Toppmöller’s side fell to a 4-3 aggregate defeat.
Die Adler will now turn their attention to Sunday’s home meeting with Wolfsburg, where they will attempt to end their five-game winless run in all competitions. Frankfurt, who occupy sixth position in the Bundesliga, will fancy their chances of picking up at least a point, having lost just one of their 10 home league games this season. Since losing to Stuttgart in November’s home fixture, Frankfurt have gone on to take 10 points from their next four home matches in the top flight.
Team News
Hugo Larsson and Saša Kalajdžić are ruled out through injury, while Philipp Max is a doubt due to illness.
Wolfsburg
Wolfsburg have gone seven league matches without a win since beating Darmstadt 1-0 on December 16. Niko Kovac’s side have seen five of their last six Bundesliga games finish all square, including last weekend’s meeting with Borussia Dortmund. Wolfsburg trailed at the break following Niclas Füllkrug’s eighth-minute effort, but they ultimately managed to restore parity and pick up a point thanks to Yannick Gerhardt’s second league goal of the season.
Die Wölfe will head into Sunday’s contest in 14th position and seven points clear of the bottom three. The visitors have struggled to produce their best form on their travels this season, having won just two of their 11 away league matches (D2, L7). However, Wolfsburg can draw confidence from the fact they have won three of their previous four matches against Frankfurt, including a 2-0 victory in September’s reverse fixture.
Team News
Wolfsburg are unable to call upon the services of Rogério, who is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury.