Paderborn vs. Eintracht Frankfurt preview: Die Adler searching for third successive win
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Paderborn
Competing in the top flight for the first time since 2019-20, Paderborn are sitting in 14th spot after winning two, drawing three and losing three of their eight league games. The second of those victories came in their most recent home outing, a 1-0 success over Hamburger SV on October 24.
However, they have failed to score since Rayan Philippe netted an 88th-minute winner against Hamburg. They fell to a 1-0 defeat to Stuttgart in the DFB-Pokal, before they played out a goalless draw in last Saturday’s away clash against Borussia Mönchengladbach.
While the goals have dried up, Paderborn can at least be pleased with the fact they have avoided defeat in each of their last three league games (W1, D2). However, the league’s second-lowest scorers know they will need to improve in the final third if they are to put distance between themselves and the drop zone, with Ralf Kettemann’s side currently sitting two points clear of the bottom three.
They can take some confidence from the fact they have won all three of their previous home meetings with Frankfurt, even if the most recent of those encounters took place nearly seven years ago in December 2019.
Team News
Mario Götze is unlikely to feature due to an ear infection, denying him the chance to face off against his brother Felix Götze. Hütter is also without Jessic Ngankam, while Robin Koch is a doubt due to a knee problem.
Eintracht Frankfurt
Frankfurt head into the weekend in eighth spot after winning three, drawing two and losing three of their eight Bundesliga matches. Die Adler took maximum points from last Sunday’s home clash against Hamburger SV, just a matter of days after beating the same opponent by the same 3-1 scoreline in the DFB-Pokal.
The league encounter was level at one goal apiece at half time before Raphael Onyedika and Younes Ebnoutalib found the net to fire Adi Hütter’s side to all three points. After enjoying a successful outing at Deutsche Bank Park, Frankfurt will now head on their travels with the minimum objective of avoiding a third consecutive away defeat in the Bundesliga.
Their ultimate goal will be to record their second away win of the season, although that would require them to beat Paderborn at the Home Deluxe Arena for the very first time. While a head-to-head away win has evaded them up until this point, they were victorious in the most recent meeting between the two sides in June 2020, when they held off a Paderborn fightback to clinch a 3-2 win.
Team News
The visitors are expected to be without Marcel Hoffmeier, Nyamekye Awortwie-Grant and Timur Gayret. In positive news, Sven Michel is available for selection after recovering from the injury that has kept him out of the last two matches.
