Preview: Augsburg vs Eintracht Frankfurt - prediction, team news, lineups

The battle for European places continues this Saturday afternoon as Augsburg welcome Eintracht Frankfurt to the WWK Arena for a tasty Bundesliga encounter.

Die Fuggerstadter gave their continental ambitions a major boost last weekend, while Die Adler are desperate to find some consistency, having failed to win back-to-back games since November.

Match preview

There remains uncertainty about how many teams will actually qualify for Europe this season, putting further emphasis on finishing as high as possible.

Currently placed ninth in the standings, Augsburg could be one of the clubs to narrowly miss out on continental football, though everything depends on the outcome of the DFB Pokal and ongoing European competitions.

Die Fuggerstadter find themselves seven points adrift of seventh-placed Freiburg, but with four matches of the season remaining, there is still time for things to change.

Manuel Baum’s men gave their European hopes a major boost by ending their five-match winless run with a 2-1 victory over Bayer Leverkusen.

Fabian Rieder sealed the three points by converting a 97th minute penalty - a goal which could ultimately make all the difference in Augsburg’s pursuit of continental participation.

Baum’s men will now be eyeing up back-to-back Bundesliga wins for the first time since February, and they will be buoyed by their impressive home record.

It has been a rollercoaster season for Eintracht Frankfurt, who seemingly struggled to balance domestic duties with their Champions League journey this season.

The accumulation of fixtures this season proved too much for the Eagles, who picked up four measly points in Europe before bowing out in the league phase.

Things have not gone much better in the Bundesliga, with Frankfurt currently occupying eighth spot in the standings - sitting a massive 10 points behind the top six.

One of the biggest problems for Albert Riera and his men has been finding consistency - something the Spanish head coach has yet to find since taking over in February.

The Eagles last won successive matches back in November, and their attempt at ending that drought proved futile last weekend as Frankfurt were beaten 3-1 at home to RB Leipzig.

Frankfurt are back on the road this Saturday, but that may not be a good thing considering the team have managed one away win from their last 11 attempts.

Augsburg Bundesliga form:

L L L D D W

Eintracht Frankfurt Bundesliga form:

D W L D W L

Team News

Augsburg boss Baum will have a fully fit squad at his disposal for Saturday’s big game.

French defender Chrislain Matsima could return to the substitute bench after overcoming a muscle injury which kept him out of action since December.

Yannik Keitel could join him in the squad as he continues to build his match fitness following a long battle with a knee problem.

Eintracht Frankfurt do not have the same luxury, with the Eagles missing a number of players due to injuries.

Nnamdi Collins, for instance, has missed his last three games due to an ankle issue, and he is expected to stay on the sidelines.

Rasmus Kristensen is also struggling with his ankle, and the 28-year-old is set to miss his ninth successive match.

Young midfielder Jean-Matteo Bahoya is another name likely to miss the weekend through a thigh injury.

There is further chaos in the goalkeeping department, with Kaua Santos and Jens Grahl both out of action, paving the way for Michael Zetterer to continue in goal.

Augsburg possible starting lineup:

Dahmen; Chaves, Gouweleeuw, Zesiger; Fellhauer, Rieder, Massengo, Giannoulis; Kade, Claude-Maurice; Ribeiro

Eintracht Frankfurt possible starting lineup:

Zetterer; Amenda, Koch, Theate, Brown; Larsson, Hojlund; Amaimouni-Echghouyab, Chaibi, Kalimuendo; Burkardt

We say: Augsburg 1-1 Eintracht Frankfurt

What a tough game to call! Augsburg returned to winning ways last weekend, but they needed a last-gasp goal to get the job done.

Eintracht Frankfurt, on the other hand, have been like a Kinder Surprise in recent months, turning up one week but not the next. With all that in mind, we are sticking with the 1-1 draw.

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