Important Facts
- In the table, only a small gap separates Frankfurt (8th/27) and Leverkusen (6th/32); three points keep Frankfurt at the top and secure Leverkusen’s position at the bottom.
- Frankfurt has not won in five competitive games and almost always concedes goals, especially after the break, which Schmitt’s cautious five-man defense has not been able to stabilize recently.
- Without Uzun as a creative option and strikers Burkardt and Batshuayi, a lot depends on Götze and Kalimuendo, who recently scored early against Hoffenheim.
- Leverkusen comes into the game on the back of a 3-0 win over Villarreal (Tillman double, Grimaldo) and three wins from five league games; it is noteworthy that they have not conceded a goal in five games after the break.
- The head-to-head record is clear: Leverkusen has won the last five Bundesliga duels, all of which ended with over 2.5 goals, and Frankfurt conceded regularly in both halves.
- Despite odds of 2.2 for an away win, streaks such as Frankfurt’s 100% over 1.5 goals and five H2H games over 2.5 goals support the tips on Leverkusen/Over/Both teams to score.
Frankfurt goes into this game under considerable pressure: after losing 2-0 to Tottenham in the Champions League, they are officially out of the competition, and they have not won any of their last five Bundesliga games. On matchday 20, Eintracht Frankfurt welcomes Bayer 04 Leverkusen to Deutsche Bank Park on Saturday, with Dennis Schmitt still at the helm, while Kasper Hjulmand is on the bench for the visitors. Leverkusen has the slightly better position in the table: Frankfurt is eighth with 27 points, level on points with Freiburg above them, while Leverkusen is sixth with 32 points. A slip-up could bring Union Berlin within reach, while Leverkusen is four points behind Stuttgart. In Frankfurt, the transfer of Albert Riera is still being worked on, so the interim team remains in charge, and without Uzun, Burkardt, and Batshuayi, a lot of work falls on Götze and Kalimuendo. This assessment is supported by Wednesday’s 3-0 Champions League win against Villarreal, initiated by Tillman and finished by Grimaldo. Omlin was signed to replace the injured Flekken, and the league record also looks more stable, with three wins from the last five games. Added to this is the clear series in the direct duel: Leverkusen has beaten Frankfurt in five consecutive competitive games, most recently 3-1 in September, and each of these encounters had at least three goals.
- Venue: Deutsche Bank Park, Frankfurt
- Date and time: January 31, 2026, 3:30 p.m.
- Competition: Bundesliga (matchday 20)
Although the market makes Leverkusen the slight favorite with odds of 2.2, the value still lies with an away win – i.e., Leverkusen wins. Frankfurt seems shaky after Schmitt’s departure from the Champions League, Burkardt and Uzun are still missing, and overall, they are conceding too many goals. Leverkusen’s 3-0 win over Villarreal, led by Tillman, suggests that they are getting back into their rhythm.
Frankfurt Form & Record Check
Eintracht Frankfurt is going through a difficult phase across all competitions, with five games without a win, four of which were losses. The downward trend was clear: 2-3 in Stuttgart, a 3-3 draw at Werder Bremen that still felt like two points lost, 2-3 at Qarabag, 1-3 in Hoffenheim, and then 0-2 against Tottenham. They have scored in most games, but concede goals every time, and it is the second halves in particular that repeatedly derail them. Against Tottenham, Schmitt cautiously opted for a back five, but the plan had little bite, and former Frankfurt striker Kolo Muani, now at another club, scored in the 2-0 defeat that sealed their slide into one of the bottom four places in the Champions League group stage. In the league, the 3-1 defeat to Hoffenheim was even more worrying, with Kalimuendo scoring first, Santos looking uncertain, and Amenda’s own goal summing up their vulnerability. They are eighth in the Bundesliga with 27 points, level with Freiburg and three points ahead of Union Berlin. A good week could see them move up the table, but their form is more likely to see them slip down.
The pattern remains clear: they often score early and concede after the break, with every game producing more than 1.5 goals. Uzun, Burkardt, Batshuayi, and Baum remain sidelined, and the talk surrounding Riera adds to the uncertainty.
Frankfurt are likely to line up in a 3-4-2-1, with Santos behind a back three of Amenda, Koch, and Theate. Kristensen and Brown are the most likely full-backs, giving the formation width and turning it into a back five without the ball. Skhiri and Larsson should secure the midfield, while Doan and Götze operate behind Kalimuendo to link the transitions. The absences shape the prediction. Baum is missing, which could keep Brown on the left side rather than changing personnel, and Uzun’s thigh problems take a high-quality creative option between the lines out of the game. Burkardt, Batshuayi, and Ebnoutalib are missing up front, so Kalimuendo is the sensible choice as striker, with Ngankam a possible option as the game progresses. With Riera being touted as a new signing, the selection could still change.
Leverkusen Form & Record Check
Leverkusen is coming off a much-needed reset, sweeping Villarreal 3-0 in the Champions League to secure a playoff spot, with Tillman’s brace setting the tone. That came after a laborious 1-0 Bundesliga win over Bremen, effective but hardly fluid. The boost is welcome after defeats of 2-0 at Olympiacos, 1-0 at Hoffenheim, and a painful 1-4 home defeat against Stuttgart. Draws have disappeared in all competitions, and the fluctuations are clear. The pattern in the second halves is striking, with Leverkusen controlling this phase. In the last five games, they have not conceded a goal after the break, and every match has remained under 1.5 goals in the second half, which suggests better game management rather than creativity. The problem lies in the start of the game, with three of these matches seeing them concede goals before halftime, forcing Hjulmand to chase the game. Against Bremen, experience brought calm, not brilliance. The table reflects this inconsistency, with Leverkusen in sixth place with 32 points, four points behind Stuttgart in fifth but five points ahead of Freiburg in seventh, so momentum is more important than panic. With Flekken out, Blaswich has been supported, and Omlin comes in as backup. Injuries to Ben Seghir and Tella limit the options on the wings, making Grimaldo’s end product even more central. If they can carry the intensity from the Villarreal game to Frankfurt, they can climb up the table.
Leverkusen are expected to stick with Hjulmand’s familiar 3-4-2-1 formation, with Blaswich likely to start in goal while the injured Flekken is out. The back three could consist of Quansah, Andrich, and Badé, with Vázquez and Grimaldo as wingbacks. In midfield, Fernández and García will likely form the double six to dictate the tempo and secure the transition moments. Leverkusen’s offensive formation is likely to rely on Tillman and Maza operating between the lines behind Schick, with Grimaldo providing the high, wide passing option on the left. With Ben Seghir and Tella both out, there is a lack of natural width on the bench, so the wingbacks will have to take on additional creative tasks. Omlin is expected to be available as the substitute goalkeeper.
Frankfurt – Leverkusen Head-to-Head & Statistics
Bayer Leverkusen has been flawless in its last five Bundesliga encounters, with September 2025 ending 3-1, March 2025 ending 4-1, then winning 2-1 and 5-1 in 2024, and 3-0 in 2023. That’s a streak of five wins without a draw, with Eintracht Frankfurt failing to pick up a single point during that period. Goals have been consistent. All five matches have exceeded 2.5 goals, with 21 goals in total, 4.2 per game. Leverkusen scored 17 of those and scored at least twice each time. Frankfurt scored in four of the five games but conceded 3 or more in three, including the 5-1 defeat in 2024 and the 4-1 defeat in March 2025. The run of play also heavily favored them, with Leverkusen scoring before the break in each of these games and leading at halftime in four of the five. Frankfurt conceded in both halves in all five games, and their losing streak in the second half against Leverkusen now stands at four. Early pressure and then relentless counterattacking was probably the decisive pattern.
