Eintracht Frankfurt – SC Freiburg
The 5th matchday of the Bundesliga again has some exciting games in store for football fans in Germany. The conclusion of this round will take place late on Sunday afternoon in Frankfurt’s Stadtwald. There, two teams that were successful in Europe during the week will meet. Find out which of the two teams will go home with a win on Sunday in our Frankfurt – Freiburg tip.
For the Eintracht from the Main, the Conference League started on Thursday with a 2-1 home win against the Scottish representatives from Aberdeen. In the league, the SGE is still without defeat, despite rather average performances. The visitors from Freiburg, meanwhile, are level on points with Eintracht and also won on Thursday to kick off the European season, albeit one tier higher in the Europa League.
This very duel took place at the same venue a little less than four months ago. On the last matchday of pre-season, the SGE secured seventh place and a trip to Europe with a 2-1 win. The Breisgauer, on the other hand, missed out on qualification for the Champions League for good with the defeat.
Frankfurt – Freiburg info:
- Date & Time: 24.09.2023, 17:30 Uhr
- Venue: Deutsche Bank Park, Frankfurt
- Competition: Bundesliga, Matchday 5
- TV broadcast: DAZN
Frankfurt Form & Balance Check
Last season, Eintracht Frankfurt played a below-average second half for the second time in a row and slipped down the league accordingly. However, by finishing seventh in the league, the Eagles are set for another European journey in the Conference League in the new season.
The SGE, with new coach Dino Toppmöller, have already successfully completed the first step on that journey when they knocked out Levski Sofia in the play-offs and won 2-1 against Aberdeen FC on Thursday. Eintracht, meanwhile, are still unbeaten in the league, although their haul of six points from four games against clubs in the bottom half of the table is somewhat disappointing.
Koch against ex-club
Eintracht Frankfurt strengthened its three-man defence with a number of new arrivals in the summer. Among others, Robin Koch returned to the Bundesliga after being relegated from the Premier League with Leeds United. Koch, an eight-time German international, moved to the Main on loan in the summer.
However, the upcoming game will be particularly significant for the 27-year-old. Robin Koch spent three years at SCF from 2017 to 2020, scoring four goals in 82 Bundesliga games. Now, he is determined to take on his former club and build on his performance on Thursday by scoring a goal.
Frankfurt facts & analysis
- 13 home games in a row without defeat
- Ninth in the league
- Played 1-1 against Bochum in the previous week
Freiburg form & balance check
SC Freiburg collected a total of 59 points in the previous Bundesliga season. This represented the highest number of points the Breisgauer have achieved since the introduction of the three-point rule in 1995. Consequently, last season was historic for the SCF, also because they once again finished fifth.
Coach Christian Streich, however, has to survey rather fluctuating performances of his team this season. After two wins in the Bundesliga at the start, two defeats followed for SCF against Stuttgart and Dortmund. On Thursday, the Breisgau side then won 3-2 at Olympiakos Piraeus in their Europa League opener.
Bad form?
The current form curve of the Breisgauer showed a little downward recently. SC Freiburg have suffered defeats in three of their last four Bundesliga away games across the season. Last season, however, Freiburg finished in an excellent fourth place in the away table and collected a total of 25 points.
A defeat in Frankfurt’s Stadtwald would also be the first time in almost two years that the Breisgauer have suffered three consecutive defeats, which was last the case in November 2021. However, coach Christian Streich’s men will certainly want to prevent that from happening.
Freiburg facts & analysis
- In tenth place in the Bundesliga table
- Lost their last two Bundesliga games
- Won 3-2 in Piraeus on Thursday
Predicted line-up – last update on 23 September 2023
The Eintracht will again go into the game in their well-rehearsed 3-4-2-1. Omar Marmoush, the scorer in the game against Aberdeen, will once again start as the only attacker for the Eagles. Captain Sebastian Rode, however, will be missing for the next few weeks due to injury.
For SCF, we expect a 4-2-3-1 again, and Maximilian Philipp could move into Freiburg’s starting eleven after scoring the winning goal in Piraeus. Nicolas Höfler, on the other hand, will be missing for the Breisgau side after being sent off against BVB.
Frankfurt – Freiburg direct comparison & Statistics
In the 43 competitive matches between these two teams so far, the record is quite even. Frankfurt recorded 18 victories, while Freiburg won 15 matches. However, the last meeting ended with a 2:1 victory for the Hessians.
- Freiburg have won only one of their last seven matches against Frankfurt.
- Frankfurt have scored in 20 of their last 21 home games in the Bundesliga
- When Frankfurt lead 1-0 in home games, they win 78% of games
