Two teams with plenty to fight for on the final matchday of the 2022-23 Bundesliga campaign will lock horns on Saturday afternoon, with Eintracht Frankfurt welcoming Freiburg to Deutsche Bank Park.
Frankfurt are currently eighth in the table, three points behind sixth-placed Bayer Leverkusen, while Freiburg are fifth, level on points with fourth-placed Union Berlin, who host Werder Bremen on the same afternoon.
Match preview
© Reuters
Frankfurt finished 11th in the Bundesliga during an underwhelming 2021-22 campaign, but they won the Europa League to secure a spot in this season's Champions League, ultimately reaching the last-16 stage of the competition before losing to Napoli.
The Eagles will not be present in next season's Champions League or indeed Europa League, but they still have an outside chance of finishing sixth in the Bundesliga, which would see them qualify for the Europa Conference League playoff round.
Oliver Glasner's side, who drew 2-2 with Schalke 04 last time out, are currently eighth in the table, three points behind sixth-placed Leverkusen, who also have a superior goal difference.
As a result, Frankfurt will need to beat Freiburg to stand any chance of claiming sixth, and they will also be relying on other results, with Leverkusen needing to lose against Bochum and a six-goal swing in goal difference to occur, in addition to seventh-placed Wolfsburg dropping points against Hertha Berlin.
It is a big ask for SGE to secure European football on the final weekend, but it is not impossible, and Glasner's team simply need to win this game and see where that leaves them.
© Reuters
Freiburg, meanwhile, are currently fifth in the table, level on points with fourth-placed Union Berlin heading into the final matchday.
At worst, Christian Streich's side will qualify for the group stage of the 2023-24 Europa League, but it would be fair to say that they have their eyes firmly on Champions League qualification.
Freiburg will enter this match off the back of a 2-0 victory over Wolfsburg, which actually ended a run of three straight losses in all competitions, including damaging defeats to RB Leipzig and Union Berlin in the league.
Streich's team will finish fourth if they manage to better Union Berlin's result at home to Werder Bremen, but they are relying on the team currently in the final Champions League position slipping up.
Freiburg have been impressive on their travels in the Bundesliga this season, picking up 25 points from 16 matches, recording seven wins in the process.
Frankfurt have also been relatively strong at home, securing 29 points from 16 matches, posting eight victories, and with both teams desperately looking for the win, it should be a fascinating game.
Team News
© Reuters
Frankfurt were missing four players through injury for their draw with Schalke last time out and that will again be the case for this match, with Lucas Alario, Kristijan Jakic, Hrvoje Smolcic and Philipp Max all absent.
Daichi Kamada is leaving the club on a free transfer this summer, so the 26-year-old will make his farewell appearance for the club on Saturday afternoon.
It could also potentially be the final time that Randal Kolo Muani is seen in a Frankfurt shirt, with a number of the world's biggest clubs said to be keen on the France international.
Freiburg, meanwhile, will again be without the services of long-term absentee Daniel-Kofi Kyereh.
Nicolas Hofler will also be absent for the visitors on Saturday due to the red card that he picked up in the latter stages of the win over Wolfsburg last time out.
Vincenzo Grifo has been in excellent form for Freiburg this season, scoring 16 times in all competitions, and the 30-year-old will again feature in the final third of the field for the top-four hopefuls.
Eintracht Frankfurt possible starting lineup:
Trapp; Toure, Tuta, Ndicka; Buta, Rode, Sow, Lenz; Gotze, Muani, Kamada
Freiburg possible starting lineup:
Flekken; Lienhart, Ginter, Schmidt; Sallai, Eggestein, Schmid, Gunter; Doan, Holer, Grifo
We say: Eintracht Frankfurt 1-1 Freiburg
Both sides need to win, but we are finding it difficult to separate them here. A draw would not be enough for Frankfurt to challenge for sixth, but a point may be enough for Freiburg to finish fourth, and it is set to be a fascinating conclusion to the Bundesliga campaign.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
