Preview:Bayer Leverkusen vs Eintracht Frankfurt - prediction, team news, lineups

Bayer Leverkusen embark on a new era when the club welcomes Eintracht Frankfurt to the BayArena for a tasty Bundesliga fixture this Friday night.

New manager Kasper Hjulmand will make his managerial debut for Die Werkself, while Eintracht will be looking to continue their perfect start to the new season.

Match preview

Bayer Leverkusen shocked the footballing world at the start of September when the club decided to sack manager Erik ten Hag, just two months on from his arrival.

The Dutchman oversaw just three competitive games – including a 4-0 win over a fourth-tier side in the DFB Pokal and a 3-3 draw with Werder Bremen just before the international break.

Ten Hag’s early sacking marked a Bundesliga record, with the former Manchester United boss becoming the first head coach to lose his job after just two league matches.

Staggering revelations in the German media pointed to a series of issues at the club, ranging from a breakdown in trust to the bizarre claim that players were unhappy about doing press-ups.

Hjulmand, who has been out of a job since leaving the Danish national side over a year ago, will now be looking to turn the atmosphere around after putting pen to paper on a two-year deal.

The 53-year-old certainly has not been given an easy start, with Leverkusen facing a number of potentially tricky fixtures between now and the next international break.

Friday’s encounter is undoubtedly one of those tricky games; Eintracht Frankfurt have been growing from strength to strength in recent years, and they look particularly strong this season.

Dino Toppmoller’s men kicked off their campaign with a 5-0 thrashing of Engers in the opening round of the DFB Pokal. and since then, they have thumped Werder Bremen and Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga, winning those games 4-1 and 3-1 respectively.

Scoring goals is clearly not a problem for the Eagles, who were only outgunned by three other clubs in the Bundesliga last season – Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, and Friday’s opponents, Leverkusen.

Frankfurt, who have got one eye on Thursday’s Champions League opener with Galatasaray, will be looking to continue their recent momentum when they take on a rattled Leverkusen outfit.

The Eagles will also be looking to end a dreadful 11-match losing run against Leverkusen in competitive fixtures.

Bayer Leverkusen Bundesliga form:

L D

Bayer Leverkusen form (all competitions):

W L D

Eintracht Frankfurt Bundesliga form:

W W

Eintracht Frankfurt form (all competitions):

W W W

Team News

Hjulmand only had two training sessions with his team, meaning we may not see too many changes from the team which squandered a 3-1 lead against Bremen.

Jeanuel Belocian could be thrown back into action, with the Frenchman reportedly ready for action following his long-term knee injury.

Jonas Hofmann is unlikely to feature, with the midfielder still struggling with a hamstring problem. The 33-year-old has not tasted competitive action since the last game of the previous season.

When it comes to Eintracht, the team remain without goalkeeper Kaua Santos, so Michael Zetterer is expected to keep his place in goal after starting in all of Frankfurt’s competitive games this season.

World Cup winner Mario Gotze is a doubt for the game due to a muscle injury, as is Jessic Ngankam due to his recent leg problems.

Bayer Leverkusen possible starting lineup: Flekken; Bade, Tapsoba, Quansah; Grimaldo, Garcia, Andrich, Tella; Tillman, Ben Seghir; Schick

Eintracht Frankfurt possible starting lineup: Zetterer; Theate, Collins, Koch, Kristensen; Larsson, Chaibi; Bahoya, Uzun, Doan; Burkardt

We say: Bayer Leverkusen 1-2 Eintracht Frankfurt

It has been a rollercoaster start to the season for Bayer Leverkusen, who are already welcoming their second manager.

It may take a bit of time for Hjulmand to find his bearings, meaning Eintracht Frankfurt will fancy their chances this Friday night – especially due to their exceptional run of form. We are backing the visitors to come away with all three points.

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