Key Takeaways
- Eintracht Frankfurt aim to defend eighth place and secure a European spot ahead of Freiburg.
- Hamburger SV need points to guarantee Bundesliga safety with a five-point cushion over the relegation zone.
- Both teams face selection issues, with Ritsu Doan suspended for the hosts and Philip Otele banned for the visitors.
Eintracht Frankfurt welcome Hamburger SV to Deutsche Bank Park this weekend for a match that holds contrasting ambitions for each club. The home side are fighting to maintain their position inside the European qualification places. The visitors are desperate to confirm their survival in Germany’s top flight.
Albert Riera’s men currently occupy eighth spot in the table. They hold a slender advantage over Sport-Club Freiburg in the race for continental football next season. However, their recent form has caused concern among supporters. The Eagles have managed only one victory from their last five outings. Their most recent result was a 1-1 draw away to FC Augsburg.
That single point proved sufficient to reclaim eighth position after Freiburg suffered a heavy defeat at Borussia Dortmund. Remarkably, both clubs competing for this final European berth currently possess negative goal differences.
Frankfurt have also struggled on familiar territory. Their last success at home came in mid-March against bottom-placed 1. FC Heidenheim. Since that narrow victory, they have failed to secure maximum points in front of their own fans.
Tensions appear to be rising within the camp. Reports this week suggest a difficult relationship between manager Riera and leading striker Jonathan Burkardt. The forward started the previous four matches but was reduced to a late substitute role last weekend. To compound matters, winger Ritsu Doan will serve a one-match suspension after collecting his fifth yellow card of the campaign against Augsburg.
For Hamburg, the objective remains simple: ensure they remain a Bundesliga club next term. Merlin Polzin’s side sit five points clear of FC St. Pauli, who currently hold the relegation playoff position. With just three fixtures remaining, a positive result here could mathematically secure their safety.
Nevertheless, the mood in the Hamburg dressing room may be anxious. The newly-promoted outfit have won only once in their previous ten matches. Their 2-0 loss to TSG Hoffenheim last weekend marked a third consecutive defeat for the first time during this poor run. A daunting finish awaits, with games against Freiburg and Bayer 04 Leverkusen still to come.
The visitors will be without forward Philip Otele through suspension. Central defender Luka Vušković also remains doubtful as he continues his recovery from injury, having missed the last three matches.
History strongly favours the Frankfurt outfit. They have not lost to Hamburg since 2011, when Mladen Petric scored the decisive goal for the visitors. That unbeaten sequence now stretches to thirteen matches following the 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture earlier this season. In that match at Volksparkstadion, midfielders Albert Sambi Lokongo and Hugo Larsson both scored inside the opening twenty-five minutes.
Predicted Line-ups:
Eintracht Frankfurt: Zetterer; Kristensen, Koch (c), Amenda, Brown; Larsson; Knauff, Uzun, Höjlund, Chaibi; Kalimuendo
Hamburger SV: Heuer Fernandes; Capaldo (c), Torunarigha, Omari; Jatta, Lokonga, Remberg, Mikelbrencis; Fabio Vieira; Glatzel, Königsdörffer