Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Union Berlin preview: Visitors looking for consecutive victories
Union Berlin will attempt to claim a second straight win when they face Eintracht Frankfurt at Deutsch Bank on Sunday.
| Photo: 1. FC Union Berlin |
Union Berlin
Frankfurt missed the chance to claim a third consecutive victory in their final match before the international break against Borussia Dortmund. Mario Götze found the net in the 13th minute to give Frankfurt an early lead against his former club. However, Karem Adeymi went on to restore parity just after the half-hour mark, before Mats Hummels and Emre Can scored late goals to condemn Frankfurt to a 3-1 defeat.
Despite falling short against Dortmund, die Adler remain in sixth position in the Bundesliga table. Dino Toppmöller’s side currently enjoy a five-point cushion over seventh-placed Augsburg, leaving them well set to secure their first top-six finish since the 2020-21 season.
Although they are on course to qualify for the Europa League, Frankfurt will be fully aware they cannot afford to rest on their laurels. They will certainly fancy their chances of taking something from Saturday’s contest, having avoided defeat in each of their last six home league games.
Team News
The hosts are unable to call upon Jean Bahoya, Hugo Larsson, Mehdi Loune and Sasa Kalajdzic. Meanwhile, Aurélio Buta will serve a one-match suspension for an accumulation of yellow cards.
Union Berlin
Union managed to end a three-game winless run in their final outing prior to the international break. Die Eisernen recorded a narrow 2-1 home win over Werder Bremen thanks to goals from Yorbe Vertessen and Brenden Aaronson. That result helped alleviate Union’s relegation fears, moving them nine points clear of the bottom three with eight matches left to play.
Although they are well set to preserve their Bundesliga status, Union will still be determined to claim maximum points against Frankfurt, especially having struggled to produce their best form on the road this season. They have won just two of their 13 away league matches this season (D2, L9), leaving them with the third-worst away record in the division.
They have also struggled in recent games at Deutsch Ban Park, losing each of their last four competitive away games against Frankfurt. As a result, Union will enter Saturday’s fixture with hopes of claiming a head-to-head away victory for the first time since February 2020.
Team News
Jakob Busk, Janik Haberer and Benedict Hollerbach are all ruled out through injury. Rani Khedira is a doubt after missing the win over Bremen, while András Schäfer will serve the second game of a two-match suspension.