Eintracht Frankfurt VS VfL Wolfsburg, a stalemate in Frankfurt on Saturday

Match Time:4/10/2021 21:30 Saturday  (GMT+8)

German Bundesliga --  Eintracht Frankfurt   VS   VfL Wolfsburg

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Two of the Bundesliga's surprise packages this season go head-to-head when Eintracht Frankfurt host Wolfsburg on Saturday.

 

Frankfurt can move one point behind their third-placed forthcoming opponents with a victory.

 

Match preview

Frankfurt took one giant step towards qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in the club's history by beating fifth-placed Borussia Dortmund 2-1 last weekend, opening up a seven-point gap ahead of them.

 

Filip Kostic and Andre Silva looked to have combined yet again to open the scoring, but the Serbian's cross was actually headed up and over Dortmund goalkeeper Marwin Hitz by his own teammate Nico Schulz.

 

Mats Hummels levelled the proceedings one minute before half time after Emre Can had diverted a corner into the defender's path, with Stefan Ilsanker's thumping header after the break ruled out due to offside.

 

Frankfurt were not to be denied their winner, though, nor was Kostic to be denied setting up Silva for the seventh time in the league this season.

 

Manuel Akanji's superb slide challenge on Luka Jovic unfortunately fell straight into the path of Kostic, who whipped a delicious first-time cross straight onto Silva's head, with the Portugal striker duly obliging to seal a dramatic 87th-minute winner.

 

Wolfsburg, meanwhile, continued their own charge towards competing in next season's Champions League, albeit in much less dramatic fashion with a routine 1-0 win at home to FC Koln.

 

The Bundesliga's joint-strongest defence rode their luck at times, though, with Jonas Hector hitting the bar from close range as the visitors began the match much more quickly than the Wolves.

 

However, the Volkswagen-owned club found another gear after the break, with Wout Weghorst superbly keeping the ball alive to allow Josip Brekalo to open the scoring with a well-placed finish into the far corner.

 

Ellyes Skhiri missed a golden opportunity from close range to snatch a point for his struggling side, but Wolfsburg held on for a club record fifth consecutive clean sheet at home, with an 11-point cushion inside the top four surely sealing their return to Europe's elite competition for the first time since reaching the quarter-final in 2016.

 

Eintracht Frankfurt Bundesliga form:WLDDWW

Wolfsburg Bundesliga form:WWLWWW

Wolfsburg form (all competitions):WLLWWW

 

Team News

Frankfurt could be without Amin Younes due to a knock, with the midfielder replaced by Daichi Kamada at half time of their crucial win over Dortmund. If so, the Japan international is set to start behind Jovic and Silva.

 

Defender Martin Hinteregger also remains a doubt with a thigh injury but could be fit to return against Borussia Monchengladbach next weekend, while Ragnar Ache, Jabez Makanda and Almamy Toure have all been ruled out for the rest of the season with serious injuries.

 

Steven Zuber, Timothy Chandler and Aymen Barkok will all be vying to replace Erik Durm in the right wing-back role, but the former Dortmund man may keep his place after a decent performance against his former club last time out.

 

Wolfsburg, meanwhile, will travel without Renato Steffen, with the Swiss winger likely to be absent until early May with an ankle problem. His compatriot Admir Mehmedi is also set for a spell on the sidelines due to a calf injury.

 

Left-back Otavio will serve the last of his four-match suspension for a vicious tackle on Hoffenheim's Munas Dabbur last month, with Jerome Roussillon finally returning to the starting lineup in his place against Koln last weekend. Roussillon should keep his place to provide experience and natural width from the role.

 

Eintracht Frankfurt possible starting lineup:

Trapp; Tuta, Ilsanker, N'Dicka; Durm, Sow, Rode, Kostic; Kamada; Silva, Jovic

 

Wolfsburg possible starting lineup:

Casteels; Mbabu, Lacroix, Brooks, Roussillon; Schlager, Arnold; Baku, Gerhardt, Brekalo; Weghorst

 

Eintracht Frankfurt 1-1 Wolfsburg

 

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