A top team in the race with Bayern, a pursuer with Europe in its sights and Frankfurt’s clear 4-0 away win in the last Bundesliga duel in April in the back of its mind—this is the setting in which RB Leipzig welcomes Eintracht Frankfurt to the Red Bull Arena on Saturday evening. Leipzig is second in the table, eight points behind leaders Bayern Munich, while Frankfurt is seventh, just one point behind sixth-placed VfB Stuttgart. Eintracht wants to keep in touch with the top, while Leipzig wants to close the gap on Bayern. Frankfurt secured a late 1-1 draw against Wolfsburg thanks to a penalty from Michy Batshuayi in stoppage time. Overall, the encounters in recent years have been evenly matched, with more than 2.5 goals scored in four of the last five meetings, although the first halves have often been low-scoring.
Both coaches will have to improvise in terms of personnel, with Leipzig missing Werner, Henrichs, and Baku, among others. Frankfurt will have to do without Ansgar Knauff, Burkardt, who is out with a calf injury that will keep him sidelined until the end of the year, and Larsson. Burkardt is almost irreplaceable in attack. Coach Dino Toppmöller is under pressure after the 3-0 home defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League and is facing significant criticism of his team’s style of play.
- Venue: Red Bull Arena, Leipzig
- Date and time: December 6, 2025, 6:30 p.m.
- Competition: Bundesliga (matchday 13)
Home win for RB Leipzig at odds of around 1.7, Leipzig is the clear favorite. The Saxons have won three of their last five competitive games and recently beat Magdeburg 3-1 in the DFB Cup. Their home strength and current form justify these odds as attractive value for many bettors.
Over 3.5 goals is a tip with higher risk and potential value. Leipzig has scored in around 80% of its recent games, and in two of its last five games, the team has scored at least three goals. Frankfurt recently lost 3-0 to Atalanta and could play more offensively in Leipzig, partly because main striker Jonathan Burkardt is out with an injury.
Both teams not scoring or Leipzig to win to nil as a more defensive, contrary approach. Leipzig recently held Werder to a 2-0 win at home without conceding a goal. Without Burkardt, Frankfurt lacks central firepower, so a Leipzig win to nil seems possible, but this contradicts the over 3.5 goals thesis.
Overall, there is clear tension between the offensive and defensive assumptions, i.e., between over 3.5 goals and Leipzig winning to nil. The personnel situation with Frankfurt missing their main striker, the non-nomination of Elye Wahi, and their recent form are the key drivers of the assessment, while criticism of Frankfurt coach Dino Toppmöller is adding to the pressure.
Leipzig form & record check
RB Leipzig has established itself in second place in the table under coach Ole Werner, but is still eight points behind Bayern Munich, while Borussia Dortmund is just one point behind the Saxons. The last three Bundesliga games, following the 1-3 stumble in Hoffenheim, point to a stabilization, with two wins and most recently a 0-0 draw in Gladbach.
This draw was almost symptomatic, with Leipzig working hard but finding too few gaps against Gladbach’s compact defense. On a positive note, the team’s defensive work improved significantly after the Hoffenheim game. In the DFB Cup, Leipzig beat second division side Magdeburg 3-1, with Baumgartner scoring twice and Nusa also contributing a goal, but their confident progress to the quarterfinals was overshadowed by the tragic death of a spectator.
Several absences are weighing on the squad, with Henrichs, Baku, and Bitshiabu missing in defense, Ouédraogo in midfield, and Rômulo in attack. In addition, Timo Werner is hardly playing a role anymore, and a move to Inter Miami in the winter is considered likely. Despite these problems, the offense has been reliable lately, with Leipzig scoring at least two goals in four of their last five games. In summary, the team appears more solid defensively and continues to be productive offensively, while the distance to Bayern and the tense personnel situation remain in the back of their minds.
Ole Werner is likely to opt for a 4-2-3-1 formation, but the numerous absences significantly limit the personnel options within this basic formation. Injured or missing players include Rômulo, the most expensive striker, with tendon irritation, as well as Werner, who is also injured or out of action. In defense, Baku and Henrichs need to be replaced, while Ouédraogo is missing in midfield.
The likely starting lineup currently consists of Vandevoordt in goal, Klostermann, Orban, Lukeba, and Raum in the back four, and Seiwald and Schlager as double sixes in central midfield. In attack, Baumgartner and Nusa are expected to play behind the striker, with Harder starting up front. This lineup is an assessment based on the current injury list and is subject to change at short notice.
Frankfurt form & record check
Eintracht Frankfurt are in 7th place with 21 points, just one point behind VfB Stuttgart. Their recent Bundesliga record of three wins and two draws from five games looks strong, but it masks some structural problems that are particularly evident in the course of the games.
It is striking that Eintracht failed to score in four of their last five games at half-time, with the first 45 minutes often appearing sluggish and uninspired, meaning that the team usually has to chase the game or decide it late on, as was the case with Michy Batshuayi’s late penalty equalizer against Wolfsburg. Internationally, the 3-0 home defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League exposed the team’s weaknesses against top-class opponents. Atalanta clearly dominated, while Frankfurt struggled to find a way back into the game, fueling the debate about the team’s style of play and squad balance, even though coach Dino Toppmöller continues to speak of being on the right track.
The personnel situation in attack is tense, with Jonathan Burkardt out until the end of the year, possibly until February, due to a calf injury, Elye Wahi currently not in the squad and struggling to find form, and Hugo Larsson still out with a thigh muscle injury. Toppmöller therefore has to improvise, currently with Batshuayi and the versatile Knauff. In the short term, these stopgap solutions are having an effect, as exemplified by the late goal against Wolfsburg, but in the long term, the impression remains that the team is falling short of its own expectations, especially in the early stages of games. The coming weeks will be decisive in determining whether Toppmöller’s assessment of being on the right track is correct or whether personnel and tactical adjustments will be necessary.
Dino Toppmöller is likely to start with a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Zetterer in goal and a back four of Kristensen, Koch, Theate, and Brown. Skhiri and Chaïbi are expected to form the central midfield, with Doan on the right, Götze in the center, and Bahoya on the left in the attacking triangle, while Knauff will lead the line.
The absences of Burkardt, who is out until the end of the year with a calf injury, and Larsson, who continues to struggle with a persistent muscle injury, remain a major setback. Both will be particularly missed in the center, where options and quality in midfield and attack are significantly reduced. As a result, a rather conservative lineup in the center is to be expected, with Skhiri clearly taking on the defensive role, Chaïbi acting as a link, while Doan and Bahoya are likely to be more involved on the wings and Götze will operate with more runs behind the front line to compensate for the lack of creativity or punch in the center.
Leipzig – Frankfurt Head-to-head comparison & statistics
The balance of the last five encounters is even, with two wins for Leipzig, two for Frankfurt, and one draw. The range of results indicates highly fluctuating form on the day and different tactical approaches. The most recent encounter in April 2025 ended in a clear 4-0 away win for Frankfurt, while Leipzig had won twice in December 2024, 3-0 in the DFB Cup and 2-1 in the Bundesliga. In addition, there was a 2-2 draw in May 2024 and a 1-0 win for Frankfurt in early 2024.
Statistically, two patterns stand out: the first half is often tough, with fewer than two goals scored before the break in each of the last three matches, while after the break, the tempo usually increases and with it the goal rate. In four of the five games, more than 2.5 goals were scored in total, with Frankfurt scoring at least once in four of those games and Leipzig regularly conceding goals, so both teams have offensive strength but also show defensive vulnerabilities.
