Eintracht Frankfurt vs Bayer Leverkusen
Eighth hosts sixth in a top-end clash at the Deutsche Bank Park, where the Bundesliga contest between Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayer Leverkusen is the entertainment on offer on Saturday afternoon.
The Eagles are five points behind Bayer in the race for European places, and both are in need of a shot in the arm after a difficult period since the turn of the year. Both teams are in Champions League action on Wednesday. Eintracht are already out of European contention, while Leverkusen host Villarreal and look to be heading for a play-off place.
So it’s fair to say that Die Werkself are in a slightly better place than Die Adler at the moment, and Kasper Hjulmand’s side did pick up a win over Werder Bremen last week. Meanwhile, Dennis Schmitt’s men are without a victory in six, and the Bundesliga 2026 betting odds are backing the visitors to pick up another crucial win on Saturday.
Talking Points
Schmitt’s striking problems
There’s not a lot going right for Die Adler at the moment, crashing out of the Champions League due to a 3-2 loss away to Qarabag last week, and then Eintracht’s clash with TSG Hoffenheim was even worse, as they fell to a 3-1 home defeat after going into halftime with a 1-0 lead. Their visitors registered more shots and more shots on target, another reminder of how Eintracht have struggled in front of goal since their marquee summer signing, Jonathan Burkhardt, picked up an injury in November.
The 25-year-old has scored 10 goals in 17 matches, but he is still sidelined by a nasty calf injury, and Burkhardt is not the only forward currently out of action. Loan signing Arnaud Kalimuendo-Muinga made a bright start, with two goals from four games, but he has picked up a muscular injury and will be out for this match. And then there is the case of Michy Batshuayi, the former Chelsea Belgian star, who is recovering from a broken ankle.
Schmitt has only been in the job for a few weeks following the departure of Dino Toppmoller, and he also needs to shore up a defence that has conceded three goals in each of its last five games. Captain and centre-back Robin Koch and full-back Rasmus Kristensen have bags of experience, and they will be tested to the full on Saturday.
Bayer back on the winning trail
Hjulmand too has suffered a post-Christmas hangover as his side fell to three consecutive defeats after they went into the break on the back of an impressive win over RB Leipzig and comfortably in the top four.
But Die Werkself suffered a shock on their return as they fell to a 4-1 loss at home to VfB Stuttgart, and when Leverkusen met Hoffenheim a week later, they lost 1-0. Despite dominating possession, with over 60-per cent of the ball, Bayer registered just two shots on target to TSG’s eight, and so the result was little surprise.
A 2-0 loss away to Olympiacos in the Champions League was more frustrating, as Hjulmand’s men totally dominated. They rained 17 shots down on the Greek goal, six on target, while their hosts scored with their only two shots on target.
But Leverkusen finally got their first win of 2026 when Lucas Vazquez scored the only goal in the 1-0 win over Werder Bremen. Despite the loss to Olympiacos last week, Bayer are still alive and kicking in the Champions League.
Die Werkself will be aiming for a second consecutive win and a clean sheet in Frankfurt on Saturday, but they could have a new man between the sticks. According to the Bundesliga 2026 updates, Mark Flekken is injured, so Hjulmand has moved to bring in Jonas Omlin on loan from Borussia Monchengladbach to challenge reserve stopper Janis Blaswich.
Up front, Czech striker Patrik Schick will hope to add to his six league goals, and he will look to left wing-back Alex Grimaldo to provide the ammunition.
History
In terms of the head-to-heads, Bayer have won 24 to Frankfurt’s 14 of the last 41 matches, with just three draws. At home, the Eagles have won 11 to eight, and there hasn’t been a single draw in the last 19 encounters, though Die Werkself have plundered the points on their last two visits with a 5-1 win on their way to the Bundesliga title in 2024, and 4-1 last season.
When the two teams met at the BayArena in September, Bayer made it six wins over Frankfurt on the bounce, as a brace from Grimaldo fired them to a 3-1 victory.
Frankfurt have drawn three and lost three of their last six games, while Bayer have won three and lost three.
Betting Tip
Each of the last seven meetings between these two teams have yielded three goals or more, so Over 3.50 goals at SBOTOP odds of 2.40 looks like a good bet, and Frankfurt’s last five games have all yielded at least four goals.
But I have a stronger feeling for a Leverkusen win. The visitors have already begun their climb out of their slump, and they often enjoy a trip to Frankfurt.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT)
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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