Eintracht Frankfurt will be aiming to avoid a fifth successive defeat in all competitions when they host Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
The visitors, meanwhile, did not play last weekend as their scheduled match against Union Berlin was postponed due to adverse weather conditions in Bavaria.
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Indeed, Frankfurt have returned from the most recent international break in November in disastrous form, losing four consecutive matches in all competitions. Two of these have been 2-1 defeats in the Bundesliga, firstly to high-flying Stuttgart, before falling to Augsburg last weekend.
Goals from Frederik Jensen and Iago either side of half time handed Augsburg a two-goal cushion within the hour mark, but Finn Dahmen's late own goal gave Frankfurt hope of snatching a point. However, despite dominating possession with 66% of the ball and posting 14 shots in total, Die Adler could not break their opponents down.
Head coach Dino Toppmoller will not have been too concerned by losing 2-1 at home to PAOK considering that his side have already progressed to the knockout stages of the Europa Conference League. But their 2-0 defeat away to third division outfit Saarbrucken in the DFB-Pokal in midweek was nothing short of disastrous.
As has often proved the case since Toppmoller took charge, Frankfurt lacked offensive threat throughout the encounter, generating just two shots on target in total. Goals from Kai Brunker and Luca Kerber handed the hosts a famous victory and a place in the quarter-finals of Germany's domestic cup in the process, with Noel Futkeu seeing red late on.
Clearly, it is not great timing for Frankfurt to be facing the reigning champions Bayern. With just two wins in six league games at Deutsche Bank Park this season, Toppmoller will be feeling under significant pressure even this early on during his tenure, meaning that they cannot afford to view Saturday's major test as a free hit.
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Despite not playing last weekend after seeing their game against Union Berlin postponed due to heavy snowfall, Bayern's chances of lifting the Bundesliga for the 12th successive season improved. This was due to league leaders Bayer Leverkusen dropping two points by drawing 1-1 at home to Borussia Dortmund.
As such, the Bavarians have a very clear incentive to move above Xabi Alonso's side at the summit by beating Frankfurt on Saturday. With Leverkusen not playing until they visit Stuttgart on Sunday - which will certainly put their unbeaten start to the season under significant pressure - Bayern can close the three-point gap and leapfrog their rivals on goal difference.
However, head coach Thomas Tuchel may be a little concerned about some ring rust existing within his squad, having not competed since their 0-0 draw against Copenhagen on November 29. Bayern were lacklustre on that evening at Allianz Arena, but that was perhaps understandable considering that they had already progressed from Group A as winners with two games to spare in the Champions League group stage.
There will surely be no such complacency when it comes to domestic matters, especially having already been knocked out of the DFB-Pokal. Clearly, retaining the Bundesliga represents Bayern's best opportunity of ensuring that yet another campaign ends with at least one piece of silverware. Achieving a seventh successive league victory on Saturday would be another step towards that feat.
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Frankfurt will remain without their club captain Sebastian Rode due to an ongoing calf injury, while Timothy Chandler, Jens Peter Hauge and Ellyes Skhiri are all ruled out of facing Bayern due to muscle strains.
Toppmoller only made four changes for his side's trip to Saarbrucken in midweek, making their defeat even more surprising. Given their recent defensive issues and their forthcoming opponents' offensive strength, the former Bayern assistant manager may switch to a back five in an attempt to shore things up at the back.
Bayern, meanwhile, will travel without Bouna Sarr and Matthijs de Ligt due to knee issues, while Tarek Buchmann still has a thigh problem. Otherwise, Tuchel has a fully-fit squad to choose from, and his players should be fresh having had ample rest time.
The former Chelsea boss will almost certainly select his strongest XI given that his return to England to face Manchester United on Tuesday is essentially meaningless for his side. Astonishingly, Harry Kane would move onto 20 league goals for the season already if he can bag a brace on Saturday.
Eintracht Frankfurt possible starting lineup:
Trapp; Buta, Tuta, Koch, Pacho, Max; Chaibi, Dina Ebimbe, Larsson, Knauff; Marmoush
Bayern Munich possible starting lineup:
Neuer; Mazraoui, Upamecano, Kim, Davies; Kimmich, Goretzka; Sane, Musiala, Coman; Kane
We say: Eintracht Frankfurt 0-3 Bayern Munich
Frankfurt's form has fallen off a cliff at the worst possible moment in terms of facing Germany's biggest club and strongest team. Only Freiburg and the bottom eight teams have scored fewer goals than Toppmoller's side in the Bundesliga so far this season, so we can envisage them blanking on Saturday.
The same can certainly not be said for Bayern, who are outscoring every other side in Germany once again. Their defensive record of nine goals conceded in 12 games is also the best record, and they will be confident of moving top of the table with a comfortable victory.
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Top tip
Brett Curtis
