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

The battle for the top four in the Bundesliga heats up this Saturday as Eintracht Frankfurt welcome a high-flying Hoffenheim side to the Deutsche Bank Park for what promises to be a tasty encounter. 

The Eagles are in the midst of a crisis after winning just one of their last 10 matches across all competitions, while the visitors jumped into podium places last weekend courtesy of their 10th league victory.

Match preview

Eintracht Frankfurt made the bold decision to sack head coach Dino Toppmoller following the club’s 3-3 draw with Werder Bremen last weekend.

Under-21s boss Dennis Schmitt took over first-team duties for the Champions League clash in Qarabag on Wednesday, though he failed to spark a turnaround in form as the German side endured a disappointing 3-2 defeat.

Experienced Bundesliga head coaches Marco Rose and Adi Hutter are in the running for the vacancy, though before a successor is named, the Eagles will be looking to turn the corner against Hoffenheim this weekend.

Due to their collapse in results, Frankfurt have slipped out of the top six and are now a massive six points behind the top four - somewhere they plan to be in order to continue their Champions League journey next season.

The biggest problem for Eintracht has been their leaky defence, which has already conceded 39 goals in the Bundesliga this season - no team has shipped more.

© Imago / Sven Simon

Hoffenheim are absolutely flying in the Bundesliga, with their recent run of victories pushing the club into third place before the start of the new matchday.

Sitting 17 points behind Bayern Munich, Christian Ilzer’s men are not going to make a miraculous challenge for the title, setting their sights on Champions League qualification instead.

The club last competed with the European elite back in 2018-19, qualifying for the group stage of the competition but failing to win a single game on their debut appearance.

Hoffenheim could be jet-setting across the continent next season should their current form continue - form which includes seven victories from 10 Bundesliga matches.

When it comes to playing away from home, Hoffenheim boast one of the best records in the league, winning four of their eight matches and picking up 15 points - a positive trend which the team will be looking to continue in Frankfurt.

Eintracht Frankfurt Bundesliga form:

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Eintracht Frankfurt form (all competitions):

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Hoffenheim Bundesliga form:

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Hoffenheim form (all competitions):

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Team News

© Imago

There are five key injuries that Eintracht Frankfurt are dealing with, including striker Michy Batshuayi who has been struggling with his foot since December.

Defender Elias Baum has made just one Bundesliga appearance this entire season, and he is not expected to return on Saturday.

Jonathan Burkardt has been nursing a calf injury since November and is a big miss for the Eagles considering he has already bagged eight league goals this season. 

Timothy Chandler and Younes Ebnoutalib are also out of action with injuries, further complicating Frankfurt’s squad situation.

Hoffenheim, meanwhile, are in a lot better shape when it comes to injuries and absentees in their squad.

Adam Hlozek struggled with a foot injury for the majority of the season before returning for a brief spell in December, and he has since picked up a calf problem.

Japanese defender Koki Machida is out with a knee injury, with the 28-year-old managing just one Bundesliga appearance all season long. 

Eintracht Frankfurt possible starting lineup:

Santos; Kristensen, Collins, Koch, Theate; Larsson, Skhiri; Doan, Chaibi, Brown; Kalimuendo

Hoffenheim possible starting lineup:

Baumann; Hranac, Hajdari, Bernardo; Coufal, Avdullahu, Burger, Prass; Kramaric, Lemperle; Asllani

We say: Eintracht Frankfurt 1-2 Hoffenheim

Stopping Hoffenheim from their current run of victories will take some doing, and an out-of-form Frankfurt side are unlikely to make it happen.

The visitors are absolutely flying, and we are expecting them to bag yet another victory in a tremendous Bundesliga campaign. 

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.