RB Leipzig vs. Eintracht Frankfurt preview: Under-pressure hosts look to maintain perfect home record

RB Leipzig

After suffering a 2-0 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen in their final game before the international break, RB Leipzig will be determined to bounce back when they host Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

Sitting ninth following an inconsistent start to the season under new head coach Martín Demichelis, Die Roten Bullen can take confidence from their impressive home form, having won both of their previous matches on home soil this season without conceding a goal. Leipzig swept aside Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-0 before thrashing Hamburger SV 5-0.

A third consecutive home victory would provide a very welcome boost for Leipzig ahead of a demanding run of fixtures, with PSV, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid awaiting Martin Demichelis' team after Saturday's match.

Team News

Christoph Baumgartner, Rocco Reitz, Marc Guiu and Assan Ouedraogo are all sidelined due to injuries.

Ridle Baku is a doubt, while Leipzig will be hoping to have Brajan Gruda back from abdominal muscle problems.
 

Eintracht Frankfurt

Like the hosts, Eintracht Frankfurt have endured an inconsistent start to the season, producing a mixture of impressive and disappointing performances.

Die Adler rounded off their action before the international break with a 2-2 draw against SC Freiburg, leaving them ninth in the table with five points from their opening four matches.

Eintracht Frankfurt lost both meetings with RB Leipzig last season, suffering a particularly heavy 6-0 defeat away from home.

Despite their poor recent record against Die Roten Bullen and the daunting task ahead, head coach Adi Hütter remains optimistic ahead of Saturday’s encounter.

“We’re looking forward to playing against very strong opposition on Saturday. Leipzig are a very good side at home. They play in a rigid 4-3-3 and have plenty of quality in attack," Hütter said at his pre-match press conference. 

"We have to be bold, defend well and work hard against a side who cover a lot of ground. That’s how we need to approach the game from the first whistle. We have to take the pressure off ourselves. We have our own qualities, we believe in our strengths and if we play the way we did in Mainz, for instance, it won’t be easy for Leipzig either. We have to be wide awake, particularly in the second half.”

Team News

Jeremiah Maluze has returned to training following an injury layoff but will miss Saturday’s game through illness. Malik Pimpong is also sidelined with a knock, while Can Uzun is expected to be available after recovering from an issue picked up during the international break.

Predicted Lineups

Click here to see our predicted starting lineups for RB Leipzig vs. Eintracht Frankfurt.