Hoffenheim vs Eintracht Frankfurt preview: Eagles look to maintain top-four form | OneFootball

Hoffenheim

Hoffenheim come into Sunday’s match against Eintracht Frankfurt after a mixed performance in recent outings. Despite scoring three goals against Holstein Kiel, they failed to create a single big chance, matching the total number of goals they had managed in their prior six games combined.

On Thursday, Christian Ilzer’s side lost 3-2 to Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League. This result leaves their qualification hopes hanging by a thread. They now need to win their final group-stage match and rely on other results to advance to the round of 16.

In their last Bundesliga meeting on August 31, Hoffenheim fell 3-1 to Eintracht Frankfurt, a match where the victors dominated offensively with 13 shots from inside the box, compared to just three from Hoffenheim.

Ilzer’s men are struggling for form, with their victory over Holstein Kiel standing as their only win in their last 11 matches across all competitions. They have lost seven of those games, including four of their past five.

The team’s struggles are particularly evident at home, where they are winless in their last five matches at the PreZero Arena. Their most recent three home games all ended in defeat, with a combined scoreline of 6-3.

Team News

Hoffenheim face an extensive injury crisis ahead of Sunday’s clash, with up to 10 players unavailable, including key defenders Christopher Lenz and Ozan Kabak.

Arthur Chaves and Kevin Akpoguma are expected to feature in defence, with a midfield duo of Anton Stach and Finn Ole Becker likely to start given the absences of Alexander Prass, Dennis Geiger, Diadie Samassekou, and Grischa Prömel.

In attack, forwards Erencan Yardımcı, Ihlas Bebou, and Haris Tabakovic are ruled out, leaving Tom Bischof, Adam Hložek, and Max Moerstedt to provide support for Andrej Kramarić up front.

Eintracht Frankfurt

Frankfurt may face challenges in maintaining their positive run after Manchester City confirmed the signing of Omar Marmoush earlier this week. The forward has been pivotal this season, contributing 20 goals and 13 assists for the Eagles.

Despite Marmoush’s absence, Frankfurt delivered an impressive performance against Borussia Dortmund, comfortably defeating them while restricting BVB to just two shots above 0.1 xG, the best of which was valued at 0.18 xG.

Manager Dino Toppmöller will be encouraged by his team’s 2-0 Europa League victory over Ferencváros on Thursday, which leaves them needing just a point in their final group-stage game to secure automatic qualification to the round of 16.

In the Bundesliga, Frankfurt has showcased both offensive and defensive strength, scoring 42 goals (joint third-best in the league) and conceding 24 (joint fourth-best).

The Eagles are currently in excellent form, having won their last four matches. However, this follows a patchy period where they lost four of their previous six games.

Their away form has been inconsistent; while they’ve suffered defeats in three of their last four road games across all competitions, they’ve also won three of their last four away Bundesliga matches, demonstrating their potential to deliver strong performances on the road.

Team News

For Frankfurt, centre-back Aurèle Amenda is unavailable, which could see Nnamdi Collins, Robin Koch, and Arthur Theate form the defensive line.

Midfield injuries and illnesses also impact the visitors, with Eric Ebimbe ruled out and both Mahmoud Dahoud and Oscar Højlund battling illness. This opens the door for Hugo Larsson and Ellyes Skhiri to anchor the midfield in a double pivot.

While recent signing Elye Wahi joined on Friday, he is sidelined with an injury. As a result, Mario Götze and Ansgar Knauff are expected to operate behind striker Hugo Ekitike in the attacking setup.