Injury-ravaged, but resurgent! What FC Bayern can expect against Eintracht Frankfurt

FC Bayern vs. Eintracht Frankfurt: A fixture that has in recent years regularly thrown up some spectacular action in the Bundesliga. Whether those were the emphatic victories for FCB in the last two clashes (4-0 and 3-0), a thrilling 3-3 draw in Frankfurt last season or a heavy defeat for Bayern (5-1 in the 2023/24 season) - the fans have always been guaranteed an exciting affair! The signs are also good for a thrilling match ahead of Saturday's clash at the Allianz Arena. FCB are back in full flow after a slight dip at the end of January with two league games without a win, while Eintracht seem to be flourishing again under new coach Albert Riera. We take a closer look at the Eagles in our opposition profile.

Inconsistent performances and a flood of goals conceded culminated in a change of coach

After qualifying for the Champions League via a top-three finish last season, Eintracht started the new campaign well under coach Dino Toppmöller, who worked as an assistant coach for FC Bayern between 2021 and 2023. The team impressed with two wins in the league opener against Werder Bremen (4-1) and at TSG Hoffenheim (3-1) as well as an emphatic 5-1 against Galatasaray in Europe's premier club competition. However, Eintracht's performances soon became very inconsistent. This was illustrated by the 6-4 win at Borussia Mönchengladbach on Matchday 5, when the Eagles, who were already 6-0 up after 47 minutes, subsequently almost let victory slip through their fingers due to carelessness.

Frankfurt consistently revealed shortcomings at the back in particular in autumn and winter, for example twice conceding five goals in the Champions League against Atlético Madrid and Liverpool and even six in the Bundesliga at RB Leipzig. This was compounded by the Eagles' almost unbelievable bad luck with injuries, with key players repeatedly being sidelined. After a 3-3 draw at Werder Bremen on Matchday 18, Toppmöller finally had to take his leave. Interim coach Dennis Schmitt was also unable to initiate a turnaround; Eintracht lost all four games under him, were knocked out of the Champions League and slipped to eighth place in the league. Albert Riera then took over the reins at Frankfurt at the beginning of February.

The new coach, who joined Frankfurt from Slovenian first division club NK Celje, promised on taking up his post that the fans would see a different team from now on. With a confident demeanour and pithy remarks ("If I were to tell my players to jump off the balcony, they would do it"), the former midfielder (who played for Manchester City, Liverpool and Galatasaray, among others) put himself in the spotlight and thus took some of the pressure off his side. The team delivered in the first two games under Riera, following up a 1-1 draw at Union Berlin with a commanding 3-0 home win against Borussia Mönchengladbach last weekend.

Injury worries, but high hopes for Burkardt

However, Eintracht left the match against Gladbach worse off in terms of resources, with Rasmus Kristensen and Arnaud Kalimuendo having to be substituted due to injury. The already tense personnel situation deteriorated even further. In defence, Frankfurt will be without two important pillars in Arthur Theate (meniscus) and the aforementioned Kristensen (ankle) for weeks. The Eagles will also have to make do without numerous potential regulars in attack. In addition to the long-term absentees Can Uzun (hamstring), Younes Ebnoutalib (torn knee ligament) and Michy Batshuayi (metatarsal fracture), it's doubtful whether Farès Chaïbi (knee) and Arnaud Kalimuendo (shoulder), who was at least given a tentative all-clear after the Gladbach game, will play. Striker Jonathan Burkardt is at least on the verge of making a comeback following a calf muscle injury.

In the two games so far under Riera, Eintracht have adopted a very varied tactical approach. Last Saturday against Gladbach, for example, the coach reacted to the early loss of attacker Arnaud Kalimuendo due to injury by bringing on Mahmoud Dahoud, who is normally at home in central midfield. From then on, Frankfurt played without a natural centre-forward but still scored three goals. Another example: left-back Nathaniel Brown, who scored two goals in the last two games, repeatedly switched to the centre when in possession and thus supported the build-up play. In attack, the two wingers Ayoube Amaimouni-Echghouyab and Jean-Mattéo Bahoya were particularly impressive against Gladbach, as was Ritsu Dōan, who played more through the centre.

Main focus: Defensive stability

However, Riera has paid particular attention to the defence. "First and foremost, you can't concede goals if you want to win games. I've told the lads that we have to do a lot of good things to create chances, but also to prevent opponents from scoring. We defended well and that's exactly the kind of confidence the players need to have," said the Eintracht coach.

"We had a completely different box defence - that's the biggest improvement under Albert Riera. He's strengthened the box defence and defensive structure and shown that he can bring in stability in a short space of time," said Frankfurt board member for sport Markus Krösche, who also recognised progress in the team's defensive work. The stats also underline this impression: In the two games under Riera, Frankfurt have conceded just one goal, which came from a penalty, and allowed their opponents just two major chances.

However, Eintracht are aware that they'll face a different calibre of opponent on Saturday than they did against Union Berlin and Borussia Mönchengladbach. Nevertheless, coach Albert Riera is confident about the game at the Allianz Arena and wants to perform with the same self-belief as in the previous two games. "We know it'll be tough. But no matter who the opponents are, we want to play our game," said the Frankfurt coach. Bayern will, however, present a tough challenge to Eintracht and can go into the clash in confident mood. So there's definitely a good chance of witnessing another spectacular affair between FCB and Eintracht this weekend.

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