Frankfurt vs Freiburg – News and Probable Lineups

Eintracht Frankfurt finds itself amid a media frenzy, but they will aim to refocus on the game as they host Freiburg at Deutsche Bank Park this Sunday afternoon.

Both clubs are vying for a top-six finish, and they must minimize further slip-ups to secure European football for next season.

Match overview

This week, one of the significant narratives in German football involves a controversial feud between Eintracht Frankfurt’s social media team and former German international Max Kruse.

The 37-year-old made some pointed remarks about Frankfurt’s new head coach, Albert Riera, during his podcast, Flatterball.

When questioned about the remarks in his weekly press briefing, Riera noted that Frankfurt’s social media team seemed to take issue with the inquiry posed by the BILD journalist.

Eintracht subsequently issued a startling statement on the club’s official X account stating: “Let’s agree that questions to our head coach in press conferences should not be based on opinions from a podcast in which one of the two hosts has already had his d**k circulating through the internet.”

Love @BILD_Eintracht,
Let’s agree that questions to our head coach in press conferences should not be based on opinions from a podcast in which one of the two hosts has already made a joke on the Internet. Anything else would be… https://t.co/DcmQHWKKkY

— Eintracht Frankfurt (@Eintracht) February 20, 2026

The comment references Kruse’s infamous explicit clip from 2016, and Frankfurt’s choice to bring it up on their official social media has sparked quite the media uproar in Germany.

Away from the scandal, Sunday presents a crucial match for Frankfurt, who are beginning to fall behind in the race for the top six.

The Eagles possess the second-lowest defensive stats in the Bundesliga and have only secured one victory in their last nine matches in the league, leaving them eight points off of European qualification.

Currently in seventh position, Freiburg is in a parallel situation to their opponents, as they require a string of victories to close the gap to the top six.

Despite working with limited resources, head coach Julian Schuster has garnered praise for effectively managing both Bundesliga responsibilities and a Europa League campaign.

Freiburg has advanced to the round of 16 in the Europa League for only the third time in their history, and they will meet Belgian side Genk in a few weeks.

While clinching the title might be a tall order for the Breisgau Brazilians, they can still achieve European football next season with a top-six finish.

Freiburg’s recent record of three wins from their last five Bundesliga fixtures has allowed them to stay in contention with teams like Bayer Leverkusen and RB Leipzig, but they still have work to do.

Schuster’s squad sits six points behind the coveted European spots, making a win on Sunday essential for their continental goals.

Eintracht Frankfurt Bundesliga form:

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Freiburg Bundesliga form:

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Team News

Eintracht Frankfurt’s struggles recently can be attributed to their long list of injuries.

The Eagles will be missing Michy Batshuayi (metatarsal), Younes Ebnoutalib (knee), Ansgar Knauff (abdominal), Rasmus Kristensen (surgery), Arthur Theate (meniscus) and Can Uzun (muscular).

On a brighter note, Robin Koch seems to have overcome his illness and is anticipated to participate this weekend.

The club’s leading scorer, Jonathan Burkardt, made his return from injury last weekend by finding the net in a narrow 3-2 loss to Bayern Munich. He is expected to feature in the starting lineup on Sunday.

As for Freiburg, they will miss the suspended pair of Jan-Niklas Beste and Johan Manzambi.

Lukas Kubler is sidelined with a knee injury, Philipp Lienhart is still recuperating from his abdominal issue, and Max Rosenfelder has a thigh problem.

Daniel-Kofi Kyereh continues to regain his match fitness after a lengthy absence due to a torn cruciate ligament, making his involvement unlikely.

Eintracht Frankfurt probable starting XI:

Holy Cow; Collins, Amenda, Koch, Brown; Larsson; Doan, Gotze; Kalimuendo, Burkardt, Bahoya

Freiburg probable starting XI:

Atubolu; Treu, Ginter, Ogbus, Gunter; Eggestein, Osterhage; Scherhant, Suzuki, Grifo; Matanovic

After pushing Bayern Munich to their limits last weekend, Eintracht Frankfurt will be eager to deliver another strong performance against Freiburg.

The visitors have a poor away record, having secured just two victories in their last 10 matches on the road. Keeping that in mind, we anticipate Frankfurt to claim a narrow victory.