Preview: Finish line in sight | OneFootball

Eintracht’s situation remains the same as they look to take another step towards their season target at home. New German champions Bayer 04 Leverkusen are the visitors to Deutsche Bank Park.

The backdrop

There are three matchdays to go until the curtain comes down on the 2023/24 Bundesliga season. And when it does, Eintracht will obviously want to have secured sixth place. The Eagles have 45 points on the board, five more than seventh-placed Freiburg, who are followed by Augsburg and Hoffenheim (both on 39 points) in eighth and ninth.

“I’m not worrying about the others,” said board member for sport Markus Krösche following the narrow 2-1 defeat at Bayern Munich. For head coach Dino Toppmöller and his team, the focus is entirely on their own game: “There’s now one fewer matchday and the points difference has stayed the same. The fact that results went our way is good and we’re pleased about that.”

New champions Leverkusen, still unbeaten this season, come to Deutsche Bank Park on Sunday 5 May. Kick-off is at 17:30 CEST.

Looking back

Bayer won 3-0 at home in the reverse fixture, but they’ve had no joy on recent visits to Frankfurt. The Eagles have won their last five Bundesliga home games against the Werkself (2-1, 3-0, 2-1, 5-2 and 5-1), which is their longest current winning streak in their own stadium against another top-flight team.

Incidentally, the last meeting between the two clubs at Deutsche Bank Park on 15 October 2022 – which resulted in a 5-1 win for the home side – was also Xabi Alonso’s first away outing as Leverkusen coach, 10 days after taking the reins under the Bayer Cross. The rest is history. However, the 42-year-old Spaniard won’t be in the dugout in Frankfurt on Sunday, having been shown his fourth yellow card of the season in the 2-2 draw against Stuttgart last weekend, which led to a one-match ban.

Goalless? Never before

Goals have been a given in the fixture between Eintracht and Bayer 04 to date. The clubs have faced each other 77 times in the Bundesliga, and there has never been a 0-0 draw.

And there certainly won’t be any objections if the Frankfurt goal music rings out at Deutsche Bank Park on Sunday!