Preview:Eintracht Frankfurt vs Werder Bremen - prediction, team news, lineups

Eintracht Frankfurt's quest to qualify for the Champions League once again in the Bundesliga begins on Saturday at Deutsche Bank Park against visitors Werder Bremen.

The Eagles' third-placed finish in 2024-25 secured them a spot amongst Europe's elite, while their opponents finished eighth and narrowly missed out on a place in the Conference League.

Match preview

Eintracht Frankfurt qualified for the Champions League via league placement for the first time in their history, and their tally of 60 points was their joint best return since 1981–82.

The hosts were strong in the final third last term, with their total of 68 league goals the fourth best in the division, netting 10 times in their final four outings of 2024-25.

Boss Dino Toppmoller guided his side to a comfortable 5-0 victory against Engers in the first round of the DFB-Pokal on Sunday.

Frankfurt's triumph against Engers extended their unbeaten streak in competitive fixtures to six games, and it was their third win in their last five.

The Eagles won four, drew one and lost one of their final six home matches in their past campaign, and they managed to keep three clean sheets in those clashes.

Werder Bremen's points tally of 51 last season was just one fewer than the total of sixth-placed Mainz 05, who qualified for the Conference League.

Ole Werner was in charge of the club in 2024-25, but he was poached by RB Leipzig and has subsequently been replaced by Horst Steffen, who started his tenure with a 1-0 loss in the DFB-Pokal on August 15 against 2. Bundesliga side Arminia Bielefeld.

The Green-Whites beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0 at home in April and lost 1-0 in November 2024, but they did not win any of their previous four encounters, drawing twice in that time.

Steffen's side were also defeated in their final four friendly fixtures, and they were held to stalemates in three of their closing four matches of 2024-25, failing to score in two of those draws.

The visitors' loss in the DFB-Pokal was their first on their travels in six games, and they had won away from home four times in the five matches prior to their defeat.

Eintracht Frankfurt form:

Werder Bremen form:

Team News

Eintracht Frankfurt lost forwards Hugo Ekitike and Omar Marmoush in the summer and January transfer windows respectively, but marquee signing Jonathan Burkardt was brought in to lead the line.

The striker can be expected to be flanked by Ritsu Doan and Jean-Matteo Bahoya, while number 10 Can Uzun could be supported by midfielders Hugo Larsson and Fares Chaibi.

With goalkeeper Kaua Santos out due to a broken leg, Michael Zetterer will likely be seen as the first choice between the posts.

As for Werder Bremen, defenders Amos Pieper, Maximilian Wober and Niklas Stark are injured, making Julian Malatini and Marco Friedl among the only senior options fit to play as centre-backs.

Senne Lynen and Leonardo Bittencourt may be trusted to start together in a double pivot on Saturday.

In the frontline, perhaps centre-forward Keke Topp will start ahead of attacking midfielder Romano Schmid.

Eintracht Frankfurt possible starting lineup:

Zetterer; Kristensen, Koch, Collins, Theate; Larsson, Chaibi; Doan, Uzun, Bahoya; Burkardt

Werder Bremen possible starting lineup:

Backhaus; Agu, Malatini, Friedl, Deman; Lynen, Bittencourt; Njinmah, Schmid, Grull; Topp

We say: Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 Werder Bremen

Werder Bremen's performance in the DFB-Pokal was concerning, and they could take some time to adapt to life under new boss Steffen.

Eintracht Frankfurt may have lost key forwards in recent months, but they started their season in the final third in strong fashion, and they should be expected to win on the weekend.

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