Leipzig-Eintracht Frankfurt is a match on the 22nd day of the Bundesliga and is played on Saturday at 15:30: TV, line-ups, predictions
Leipzig and Eintracht Frankfurt, two teams who were both involved in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 this week, return to the pitch straight away.
The former managed to hold off Guardiola and Haaland’s Manchester City, snatching a precious 1-1 draw at the Red Bull Arena, while the latter was outclassed by Luciano Spalletti’s formidable Napoli and, after the 0-2 defeat at Deutsche Bank Park, their hopes of qualification are slim. To think about the return leg, however, there will be time. The focus must now be on the Bundesliga, as this is a potential direct clash for one of the top four places. Fifth and sixth respectively in the standings, separated by just one point, Leipzig and Eintracht could also be in the title race, which has never been as open as it is this year, with Bayern Munich decidedly more vulnerable and ‘human’ than in past seasons.
A thrilling clash
Between first and sixth position, in fact, no less than six teams are enclosed within just five points. The best placed, as we said, is Leipzig, who, after last week’s resounding 0-3 win over Wolfsburg, held their own against the mighty Citizens.
Max
Something more was expected from Eintracht Frankfurt, however, who appeared totally at the mercy of Napoli: the deficit could have been wider and Kolo Muani’s sending-off made Glasner’s plans for the return leg terribly complicated. For the Adlers, the Leipzig game is another litmus test and they will try to build on their 2-0 win over Werder Bremen seven days ago, their fourth home victory in a row since the start of the season. A year ago, in September, Eintracht went down 4-0, but Domenico Tedesco was still on the Leipzig bench after a few weeks and was removed from his post following a poor start. Since Rose, however, the Roten Bullen have been a different team.
The Prediction
The double unknown is the ability of the two teams to recover from cup fatigue but also the probable absence of their most prolific strikers: Nkunku has recovered from the injury that has kept him out since November but will sit on the bench, doubts instead on Kolo Muani, who came off injured from the challenge with Napoli. Of the two, the one who seems to have a slight advantage is Leipzig, unbeaten in 13 of the last 14 Bundesliga matches. The hosts should avoid defeat in a match in which the total number of goals is likely to be at least three.
Leipzig-Eintracht Frankfurt line-up odds
- LIPSIA (4-2-3-1): Blaswich; Henrichs, Orban, Gvardiol, Raum; Laimer, Schlager; Szoboszlai, Forsberg, Werner; André Silva.
- EINTRACHT FRANCOFORTE (3-4-2-1): Trapp; Tuta, Smolcic, N’Dicka; Knauff, Kamada, Rode, Max; Götze, Lindstrom; Borré.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 2-1
