Bundesliga: Win Only is Bayer’s Task in Frankfurt

Eintracht Frankfurt vs Bayer Leverkusen

Third plays second in a blockbuster clash on Saturday when the Bundesliga match between Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayer Leverkusen kicks off at the Deutsche Bank Park.

Dino Toppmoller’s Frankfurt have been in mixed form and come into the game on the back of a 4-0 thumping away to leaders Bayern Munich, while Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen kept their title hopes alive with a 2-0 win away to Holstein Kiel. Die Werkself are trailing the Bavarians by eight points with 11 games to play. Both teams have lost just once this season, but Leverkusen have drawn eight to Bayern’s four.

Only wins will do now for Alonso, but this trip to Frankfurt will be one of his biggest tests to come. The Eagles are eight points further back in third but with SC Freiburg, Mainz, and RB Leipzig all lurking within four points, they are in a fierce battle to hold on to a top four place.        

 

Talking Points

Eagles glad to be back home

After taking something of a walloping in Munich, Toppmoller’s team will be delighted to back in Frankfurt where they have lost only once all season, a setback against Mainz. With 49 goals, the Eagles are the third-highest scorers in the league and the joint-second highest scorers at home alongside Leverkusen. They are yet to draw a blank in front of goal at home, so that is the task facing Bayer’s defence.

The sale of Omar Marmoush to Manchester City has put the pressure on Hugo Ekitike. But with 12 goals, the French striker is a constant threat, while 19-year-old attacking midfielder Can Uzun is having a breakout season. The young Turk has scored four goals in 16 appearances and clearly has a bright future. 

Keeper and captain Kevin Trapp is a constant figure in defence, and the 34-year-old will have a big role to play when Bayer come to town. He’s a powerful figure who controls his area and a passionate Frankfurt stalwart. And he feels he owes his team after making an uncharacteristic error for Bayern’s second goal last weekend. If he can somehow keep a clean sheet on Saturday, Trapp will pay his mates back handsomely.            

 

Leverkusen must hush the Frankfurt crowd 

When the 57,000 fans at the Deutsche Bank get going, it can be a sight and a noise to behold, and the team has responded. So, Bayer’s task is to take the game to their hosts and keep the fans quiet. The best way to do that is to score an early goal, and that will surely be Alonso’s strategy.      

Leaders Bayern have a tough game away to seventh-placed VfB Stuttgart on Friday night, and if the Bavarians fail to win, that will automatically give Leverkusen a boost.

Florian Wirtz, with nine goals and 12 assists, remains the main man in the attacking unit, while Czech striker Patrik Schick has scored 15 goals. And the experienced wingmen Alex Grimaldo and Jeremie Frimpong are still doing the business with two goals and four assists, and three goals and four assists, respectively. Grimaldo is a set-piece specialist, and Frimpong is still one of the fastest players in the Bundesliga, so this Werkself group has a multiple threat. In defence, the pairing of Piero Hincapie and Jonathan Tah is one of the best in Europe, so Ekitike and co. will have their work cut out.

Alonso and his team can’t have been hugely impressed by the Champions League Round of 16 draw which pitted them against play-off qualifiers Bayern, but they have already had success against Vincent Kompany’s side this season. Should the Bavarians trip up against Stuttgart, the Bayern fans will be watching the Bundesliga 2025 updates nervously, and the momentum may start to shift again. But Die Werkself are nearing the point of no return, and they need the stars to align. The Bundesliga 2025 betting odds say Alonso’s men will do the business, but they will have to be at their best.

 

History

Leverkusen have bossed this relationship over the past 30 years with 31 wins to 16, and they have won the last four meetings, including a 2-1 home victory in October with goals from Robert Andrich and Victor Boniface after Marmoush had given the Eagles an early lead from the penalty spot.  

Bayer have been in good form with four wins and two draws from the last six, while Eintracht have won one, drawn three, and lost two. But the hosts have been strong on home turf with seven wins, three draws, and one defeat, while Leverkusen are unbeaten away with six wins and five draws on the road.       

 

Betting Tip

Die Werkself are strong favourites to win this game at a SBOTOP price of 1.70 with the Eagles at 4.19, and the draw is priced at 3.64.

Eintracht, with that +0.75 advantage are available at 1.93. In terms of a scoreline, 2-1 to Bayer is at 7.14 and a 2-0 away win is 8.48. Yes, Eintracht are very strong at home, but Bayer have more strength in depth, and the hosts are still adapting to life without Marmoush. I predict Alonso’s men will pick up that crucial win.

   

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