MAINZ – EINTRACHT FRANKFURT | Sunday 3:30pm
For the past month Eintracht Frankfurt have been progressing at an almost ‘Bayern Munich-like’ pace, one might say. Oliver Glasner’s men, having put a shaky start behind them, have won seven of their last eight matches in various competitions, including the Champions League in which they managed to qualify for the round of 16.
And where, between February and March, they will face Luciano Spalletti’s Napoli. Their only defeat came in the Bundesliga in a direct clash with Borussia Dortmund. But the slip-up has not prevented them from moving back up to fourth place, no of the main objectives set at the start of the season at the Hessian club’s headquarters. Eintracht, after a decisive Champions League victory against Sporting CP, won 2-1 in the away match in Ausgburg. Then, in the midweek round, they overwhelmed a direct competitor for Europe such as Hoffenheim 4-2.
A victory in the Sunday’s post-match against Mainz would propel the Adlers into a solitary second place behind Bayern Munich, pending the outcome of the match between Freiburg and Union Berlin, scheduled immediately afterwards. The feeling, however, is that Glasner and his side will not find an ‘accommodating’ opponent. Bo Svensson’s team are going through a particular moment, having just come back from three consecutive defeats that made them slip to the right side of the table, and they want to redeem themselves.
Widmer v Bayern Munich
The Prediction
Two teams experiencing diametrically opposite moments and Eintracht Frankfurt cannot but be considered favourites in this challenge. Mainz haven’t beaten them since 2020, and what’s more, in front of their own public they have strangely built up only half the points they have scored away from home. The red-and-white defence, then, could suffer from what for a few weeks now has been the best attack in the tournament after Bayern Munich’s unreachable one. It is likely, however, that both will be able to find the way of goal on at least one occasion.
Mainz v Eintracht Frankfurt matchday squad
- MAINZ (3-4-1-2): Zentner; Fernandes, Bell, Caci; Widmer, Stach, Kohr, Aaron; Lee; Ingvartsen, Onisiwo.
- EINTRACHT FRANCOFORTE (3-4-2-1): Trapp; Tuta, Smolcic, Ndicka; Knauff, Kamada, Sow, Pellegrini; Lindström, Götze; Kolo Muani.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-3
