The starting position could hardly be more exciting, as Eintracht Frankfurt, seventh in the table, welcomes Borussia Dortmund, second in the table, to Deutsche Bank Park for the restart of the Bundesliga, and for Dino Toppmöller, this 16th matchday already feels like a real stress test. The club bosses continue to demonstratively stand behind him, but after a leaky autumn and a team that still doesn’t look stable, his room for maneuver is shrinking. On the other hand, Niko Kovac and Dortmund are chasing leaders Bayern, who are nine points ahead, and he can’t afford any more slip-ups in the title race. Both teams come out of the short winter break with mixed feelings: Frankfurt have won only one of their last six competitive games and conceded 30 goals in 15 league games, significantly more than expected internally. Dortmund, on the other hand, are coming off a run of five unbeaten Bundesliga games and a controlled 2-0 win over Gladbach, while the debate about Kovac’s rather sober style of play and Guirassy’s only five league goals so far continues to simmer. The recent past adds extra fuel to the fire, as Dortmund knocked Eintracht out of the DFB Cup here in October after a 1-1 draw and subsequent penalty shootout, even though Frankfurt had won the last league match at this stadium 2-0. Toppmöller is now looking to make adjustments with Ebnoutalib and Kosugi in the team, Kalimuendo could follow, but the injury-plagued core and the open question of whether Zetterer or Santos will start in goal remain.
- Venue: Deutsche Bank Park, Frankfurt
- Date and time: January 9, 2026, 8:30 p.m.
- Competition: Bundesliga (matchday 16)
The bookmakers have Dortmund at odds of around 2.1 to win away, making a bet on Dortmund attractive because Frankfurt regularly concede goals and look uncertain in goal, while Guirassy and Brandt are a constant threat up front. At the same time, the markets could be underestimating Eintracht’s offense, as they score frequently at home, often through Uzun and Ebnoutalib. From an analytical point of view, a scenario in which both teams score and Dortmund leads at halftime seems likely, especially since Kovac has explicitly focused on quick starts at the training camp in Marbella, which further supports this betting approach.
Frankfurt form & record check
Eintracht Frankfurt goes into this restart in a peculiar mid-table position. Seventh place in the Bundesliga with 25 points and a balanced goal difference seems solid at first glance, especially as they are only one point behind Stuttgart and have a four-point cushion over Union Berlin, but they have only managed one win in their last six competitive games, so they are lacking real momentum. In their last five games in all competitions, they drew 1-1 in Hamburg, narrowly won 1-0 at home against Augsburg, lost 2-1 in Barcelona, suffered a heavy 6-0 defeat in Leipzig, and drew 1-1 at home against Wolfsburg. The win against Augsburg was the only truly controlled performance, with the other games fluctuating between decent phases and massive defensive lapses, especially in Leipzig. Defensively, the trend remains clearly worrying: 30 goals conceded in 15 Bundesliga games are among the worst in the league, and nine of those goals were conceded after the 76th minute, indicating recurring concentration or structural problems in the closing stages. In 80% of their last five games, at least two goals were scored, and in 80% of those games, Eintracht scored and conceded goals, so the games are mostly open. Accordingly, much of the discussion about form revolves around the defense and the goalkeeper question. After a shaky phase with Kauã Santos in goal, Michael Zetterer initially brought more stability, but then made mistakes of his own in Cologne and Leipzig, which is why a return for Santos is being seriously discussed internally. This decision between experience and potential could determine how boldly Frankfurt defends in the coming weeks. The picture is also mixed in attack: Eintracht have scored in four of their last five games, but never more than once, so sustained pressure is rare. With Elye Wahi leaving the club on loan and Jonathan Burkardt and Michy Batshuayi out injured, a smaller group now bears the responsibility, with creative players such as Can Uzun and Ritsu Doan, as well as new signings Younes Ebnoutalib and Arnaud Kalimuendo, who need to settle in quickly. Overall, Frankfurt finds itself in a situation where its European goal, at least in terms of qualifying for the Conference League, still seems realistic, but the path to get there appears uncertain. Despite the defensive statistics and only one win in their last six competitive games, those in charge are publicly defending Dino Toppmöller, and with a very young, newly rebuilt team, the form curve can quickly swing in either direction, positively or negatively.
Eintracht are expected to stick with their familiar 3-4-2-1 formation. In this predicted line-up, Zetterer will start in goal ahead of Santos, with Koch in the center of a back three flanked by Collins and Amenda. Kristensen and Brown will occupy the wings, Dahoud and Larsson will anchor the center, and Uzun and Doan will operate behind Kalimuendo between the lines. However, due to the internal debate about the goalkeeper position, this decision could still be reversed in favor of Santos at short notice. Key absences characterize this possible starting eleven: Farès Chaïbi is away with Algeria, while Burkardt and Batshuayi are still missing, so Kalimuendo is very likely to be the central striker, and Uzun has a good chance of starting. Baum and Chandler are missing in defense, which effectively secures Brown and Kristensen’s roles on the wings. In midfield, Skhiri is not expected to be back in action after his short break following the tournament, and Bahoya has recently been ill, so this prediction is based on Dahoud and Larsson as the main axis in the center. Götze, Ebnoutalib, and possibly Amaimouni-Echghouyab could provide fresh impetus from the bench if Toppmöller wants more creativity in attack.
Dortmund Form & Record Check
On paper, Borussia Dortmund comes out of the winter break in solid shape. The team is in second place in the Bundesliga with 32 points and a goal difference of plus 14, already nine points behind Bayern and three ahead of Leverkusen. They are unbeaten in five league games, with controlled 2-0 home wins against Hoffenheim and Gladbach and a frustrating 1-1 draw in Freiburg after another late goal conceded. Across all competitions, however, the overall picture is somewhat more mixed, as the last five games have brought two wins, two draws, and a costly 0-1 defeat at home to Leverkusen in the DFB-Pokal, in which the attack never really broke through. In the Champions League, the 2-2 draw against Bodo/Glimt and, before that, the chaotic 4-4 draw against Juventus underlined the tendency to lose control in the closing stages. These results fit into a broader pattern: Dortmund often start cautiously, with four of their last five games seeing no more than one goal before the break, but by the final whistle they have usually scored at least two. They have scored in most first halves and almost always overall, while clean sheet victories against Hoffenheim and Gladbach suggest a slightly more stable structure in front of Kobel. Nevertheless, there is frustration because this efficiency rarely translates into real dominance. Kovac made clear demands for more control at the training camp in Marbella, which could keep games closer but adds fuel to the debate about his style. Guirassy has five league goals despite numerous missed chances, Adeyemi is struggling with form and discipline, and responsibility is increasingly shifting to leading players such as Brandt, while contract talks with Can and Brandt are present as a quiet background noise. Defensively, the picture is more nuanced: The core of the defense currently consists of Schlotterbeck, Can, and Süle, while Anton and Anselmino are out with thigh problems and Bensebaini is away with Algeria at the Africa Cup of Nations. Sporting directors such as Kehl and Ricken emphasize that the results are acceptable overall and like to point out that most of the defeats in recent months have only come against top European clubs and Leverkusen.
Borussia Dortmund are expected to stick with their tried-and-tested 3-4-2-1 formation under Kovac, with Kobel in goal behind a back three of Süle, Can and Schlotterbeck. In our predicted formation, Ryerson and Svensson will operate on the wings, Sabitzer and Nmecha in central midfield, Brandt and Adeyemi in the half-spaces, and Guirassy as the lone striker. This would maintain the pragmatic, defensively compact structure that has characterized much of this season. In this prediction, Dortmund has to do without several defensive options: Anton and Anselmino are out with thigh problems, Kabar is unavailable, and Bensebaini is still away with the Algerian national team. Therefore, Süle, Can, and Schlotterbeck form the back three, while Ryerson and Svensson are considered the most likely wingbacks. Özcan and Drewes are missing from the Champions League squad, which further limits the alternatives in defensive midfield and in goal and reduces Kovac’s scope for rotation.
Frankfurt – Dortmund Head-to-Head Comparison & Statistics
In the last five head-to-head matches, Dortmund had the slightly better record with two wins in regular time, while Frankfurt won once and two games ended in a draw. Goals were almost always guaranteed, with a total of sixteen scored, just over three per game. The most recent encounter in October 2025 in the DFB Cup ended 1-1 after extra time, with Dortmund subsequently prevailing in a penalty shootout. Prior to that, the 3-3 draw in 2023 set the tone for open games. Dortmund followed up with 3-1 and 2-0 wins in the league in 2024, before Frankfurt responded with a 2-0 home win in January 2025, giving Eintracht their most recent positive Bundesliga memory of this fixture. It is striking that Frankfurt tends to start better in this series: in four of the last five encounters, Eintracht scored in the first half and never went into the break behind. Dortmund never led at halftime during this span, but won the second half in four of five games, including a current streak of three in a row, suggesting effective adjustments during the game. Goals after the break are a recurring pattern, as each of the last three meetings has seen at least two goals in the second half, and all five games have ended with a total of over 1.5 goals. Both teams have scored in four of the five games, so clean sheets are the exception in this fixture, with games usually opening up as fatigue sets in and space increases. Overall, there are many indications that this pattern could repeat itself on Friday: Frankfurt often takes the lead early on, Dortmund grows into the game after the break and tends to turn the game around around the 60th minute, when Dortmund has recently looked a bit more effective.
