Fourth-placed RB Leipzig will look to secure their 11th league win when they host sixth-placed Eintracht Frankfurt.
Eintracht Frankfurt will look to add to the win in their last league outing when they hit the road to square up against RB Leipzig who have been unbeaten in their last four league fixture. The home team will look to ensure they can reduce the gap at the top while the visitors will push for a place in the top four.
Leipzig have had a decent season so far. They have 33 points in 16 outings thanks to ten wins and three draws. They have only lost three matches this season but are already nine points behind league leaders Bayer Leverkusen, who have been unbeaten so far.
The home team have not lost in their last four league outings, and they will be confident about their chances heading into this fixture. Their last official outing ended in a 1-1 draw against Werder Bremen, and they will be hoping for a better overall performance. They have the firepower in their tank and can surely come out of this with a win.
Meanwhile, Eintracht Frankfurt have accumulated 24 points in their 16 outings. They have only managed to win six games so far and have played out a draw on six occasions. They have suffered four defeats in the ongoing season, and three of those have come in their last five outings.
Their recent form is a cause for concern. But the visitors will hope they can build on their 2-1 win over Borussia Monchengladbach which came in their last league outing. They managed to turn things around and win the game with two injury-time goals and will hope that they can settle the score within 90 minutes this time out.
Given the position of both teams and the quality of the players at their disposal, it could be an exciting encounter. As a result, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.
Team News & Tactics
RB Leipzig
Emil Forsberg and Timo Werner have parted ways with the club in the ongoing window, while Willi Orban is out injured. Meanwhile, Amadou Haidara is unavailable as he is currently on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations. Dani Olmo has made great progress in his recovery and is expected to be fit to take part in this fixture. New signing Eljif Elmas is in contention to start.
Marco Rose is expected to go ahead with the 4-2-2-2 formation, where Janis Blaswich will be in goal. Benjamin Henrichs and David Raum will feature out wide as the two full-backs. Meanwhile, Mohamed Simakan and Castello Lukeba will start in the heart of the defence.
Christoph Baumgartner and Xavi Simons will have a more flexible role in the centre of the park. They will start out wide and will have the freedom to express themselves. Xaver Schlager and Kevin Kampl will feature in a more central role, and the duo will look to ensure their team dominates the proceedings.
Lois Openda and Yussuf Poulsen will feature up top as the two forwards. The duo will look to link up and cause problems for the opposition’s defence.
Probable Lineup (4-2-2-2): Blaswich; Henrichs, Simakan, Castello, Raum; Baumgartner, Schlager, Kampl, Simons; Openda, Poulsen
Eintracht Frankfurt
Timothy Chandler and Sebastian Rode are out injured, while Fares Chaibi, Omar Marmoush and Ellyes Skhiri are on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations. Donny van de Beek, who has joined them from Manchester United, and Sasa Kalajdzic who is on loan from Wolves are both in contention for their debut.
Dino Toppmoller is expected to make a slight adjustment to his 4-4-2 formation. He could go ahead with a 4-4-1-1 formation, where van de Beek will feature as an attacking midfielder behind the number nine.
Kevin Trapp will continue in goal. Tuta and Philipp Max will start as the full-backs. Meanwhile, Robin Koch and Willian Pacho will feature in the heart of the defence. The back four will look to keep a clean sheet against an opposition that has some quality forwards.
Ansgar Knauff and Eric Junior Dina Ebimbe will feature out wide in the centre of the park. They will look to provide width to their attack and help out their full-backs when needed. Hugo Larsson and Mario Gotze will take charge of things in the centre of the park.
The duo will be responsible for controlling the tempo and they will try to dictate the ball possession. Winter signing van de Beek will be the attacking midfielder, and he will look to create chances for their striker Sasa Kalajdzic.
Probable Lineup (4-4-1-1): Trapp; Tuta, Koch, Pacho, Max; Knauff, Gotze, Larsson, Dina Ebimbe; Van de Beek; Kalajdzic
Key Stats
- RB Leipzig have won five out of the last 16 matches against Eintracht Frankfurt. The visitors have come out on top on four occasions.
- Eintracht Frankfurt have lost each of their last four away games in all competitions.
- The home team have been unbeaten in their own backyard in their last 12 league games. Their last home defeat came back in April last year.
- The visitors have won their first league fixture of the year in four of the last five calendar years.
- Leipzig have won their last two outings against the visitors, the same number of wins that they managed in 13 matches prior to that.
Player to Watch
Xavi Simons
Simons has been on fire since joining RB Leipzig on loan from Paris Saint Germain at the start of the 2023/24 season. The 20-year-old Dutch international has featured in a total of 16 league games and has contributed towards 11 goals.
He has found the back of the net on four occasions and has even bagged seven assists. Simons’s exceptional performances have helped Leipzig considerably, and they will be hoping that he comes good in this fixture against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Prediction
RB Leipzig 2-1 Eintracht Frankfurt
Both teams have quality squads at their disposal, and it is expected to be a closely fought encounter. But, recent form suggests RB Leipzig will have the edge here. They have been unbeaten in their last four league outings and were on a three-match winning streak before their draw last time out.
Meanwhile, the visitors have lost a total of four league games this season and interestingly, three of those four defeats have come in their last five league outings. Their recent form suggests they might find it difficult against Leipzig. The Hard Tackle predicts a hard-fought 2-1 win for the home team.
