Frankfurt vs Freiburg – News and Probable Lineups

Freiburg will be aiming to preserve their early lead at the summit of the Bundesliga when they head to Deutsche Bank Park to take on Eintracht Frankfurt this Saturday.

The home side currently sits in ninth place with four points after three matchdays, while Freiburg tops the table with nine points from their three matches following a resounding 5-0 victory over Borussia Monchengladbach on September 12.

Match overview

Frankfurt approaches the weekend having achieved a 3-1 win against Mainz 05 on September 12, although they were arguably lucky to only concede a single goal as their opponents squandered numerous opportunities within the penalty box.

The Eagles experienced a tumultuous 2025-26 season, plagued by defensive issues, a trend that seems to have carried over into the current campaign, with the club already conceding eight goals this season in the Bundesliga.

Head coach Adi Hutter will be satisfied that his team has netted three goals across two separate league outings, yet they currently rank 10th in terms of expected goals (5.7).

A win for the home side this weekend would mark their third victory in five matches. Conversely, anything less would signal their eighth failure to secure a win in nine Bundesliga fixtures, with a defeat being their fifth loss in nine league matches.

Deutsche Bank Park has not seen a home victory in the last five games played at the venue, during which Frankfurt has faced three defeats.

While Freiburg currently leads the league only on goal difference, it does not take away from the fact that their start to the 2026-27 season has been extraordinary.

No other team in the league has scored more than the visitors (10), and they also possess the league’s top defensive record, having conceded only one goal so far.

Julian Schuster has led his side to victory in all six games they’ve played this season, with his players achieving wins by at least three goals on four occasions.

Freiburg’s three away wins this season have been somewhat unexpected, particularly after they lost their last four matches on the road in the 2025-26 season.

Freiburg has not clinched a win in their last eight encounters with Frankfurt, suffering four defeats, including a 2-0 loss at Deutsche Bank Park in March.

Team News

Eintracht Frankfurt will be without forward Ansgar Knauff due to a hamstring injury, which may result in striker Jonathan Burkardt being supported by Ritsu Doan and Can Uzun.

Centre-backs Jessic Ngankam and Jeremiaha Maluze are also unavailable, making the selection of Robin Koch, Otavio, and Lilian Brassier likely.

Freiburg’s only absentee remains attacker Florent Muslija. However, considering Jan-Niklas Beste, Yuito Suzuki, Derry Scherhant, and Igor Matanovic have directly contributed to nine goals this season, they have plenty of options.

The frontline will need sufficient support from the midfield, suggesting that Maximilian Eggestein and Yannik Engelhardt will need to step up when in possession.

There is no reason for Freiburg to alter their defence from the one that started against Gladbach, so expect to see Philipp Treu, Matthias Ginter, Philipp Lienhart, and Jordy Makengo play.

Eintracht Frankfurt probable starting XI:

Atubolu; Koch, Ottavio, Brassier; Baum, Aseko, Onyedika, Kosugi; Free, Uzun; Burkardt

Freiburg probable starting XI:

bakery; Treu, Ginter, Lienhart, Makengo; Eggestein, Engelhardt; Best, Suzuki, Scherhant; Matanovic

This weekend’s match is anticipated to be an interesting one, as both teams have enjoyed productive spells in the final third.

Frankfurt has shown to be considerably more fragile in defence compared to their rivals, thus making Freiburg appear as the likely favourites at Deutsche Bank Park.