Preview of the match “Eintracht Frankfurt” – “Bochum”: without a victory, “Bochum” goes to the contenders for the Champions League

Taris Shabi plays for Eintracht Frankfurt. (Photo by Helge Prang/Getty Images)

Eintracht Frankfurt advanced to the third round of the DFB-Pokal after beating Borussia Monchengladbach 2-1 on Wednesday, despite going down Arthur Theate with a 15th-minute red card.

Notably, Theate also saw a red in the 77th minute of Frankfurt’s 1-1 draw with Union Berlin on October 27. However, after his dismissal, the Eagles managed to hold Union to a single hit.

In the Bundesliga, Frankfurt have been struggling lately, recording two draws and one defeat in their last three games. However, coach Dino Toppmöller may deserve some insight as his side have faced strong opposition in this stretch in Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen and fourth-place Union Berlin.

Frankfurt’s 16 goals so far this season make them the fourth-best scoring team in the Bundesliga, while their 12 goals conceded place them seventh best defensively.

Although Frankfurt have kept just one clean sheet in their last 15 league matches, they won four straight matches in the Bundesliga before ending their recent run of three winless games.

It’s also worth noting that Frankfurt have been difficult to beat at Deutsche Bank Park, losing just one of their last 14 home games, with seven wins and six draws in that time.

Frankfurt will be without centre-back Arthur Theate and right-back Rasmus Christensen, which likely means Tuta, Robin Koch and Orel Amenda will form a back three in front of goalkeeper Kevin Trapp.

With midfielder Oskar Hoylund out until the end of December, Topmoller could opt for a double pivot with Ellis Skhiri and Hugo Larsson manning the midfield.

Omar Marmouche is expected to start in the front line, likely alongside Mario Gotze and Hugo Ekitike.

Bochum enter Saturday’s match off the back of a heavy 5-0 defeat to Bayern Munich on October 27. Bayern dominated this game, with 72% possession, 19 shots and six big chances.

Caretaker managers Markus Feldhoff and Murat Ural took charge of the game against Bayern following the sacking of Peter Seidler, who was sacked following the 3-1 defeat to Hoffenheim on October 19.

Bochum’s struggles this season have been intense, with just seven goals scored and 22 conceded, making them the second worst in the league in both attack and defence.

Already seven points below the safety line, Bochum face a major challenge to close the gap, especially given their recent form, which has included nine defeats and a draw in their last ten games.

Their away record also paints a difficult picture: Bochum have lost 28, drawn seven and won just four of their last 39 away Bundesliga games and are currently on a run of five away defeats in all competitions.

Goalkeeper Manuel Riemann is missing due to internal suspension, while defender Bernardo is out until the end of November.

Patrick Dreves is expected to take over as goalkeeper, with centre-backs Tim Oermann, Ivan Ordets and Yakov Medic likely to make up the back three.

In attack, the visitors will be missing striker Myron Boadu and midfielder Matus Bero, so Moritz Broshinski and Dani de Wit will lead the attack, while Ibrahima Sissoko, Erhan Masovic and Anthony Losilla could play in central midfield.