Champions League hopefuls Eintracht Frankfurt will hope to maintain their five-point advantage over Werder Bremen after hosting them on Saturday at Deutsche Bank Park in their 11th Bundesliga outing of the season.
The Eagles are currently in third place with 20 points and narrowly defeated Stuttgart 3-2 on November 10, whereas the visitors beat Holstein Kiel 2-1 on November 9 and are in eighth place with 15 points.
Match preview
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The home side's victory against Stuttgart was perhaps unnecessarily nerve-wracking considering they had taken a 3-0 lead by the 62nd minute before conceding in the 86th and 90th minutes to set up a tense ending.
Boss Dino Toppmoller singled out forward Omar Marmoush, who scored a stunning free kick in the second half, telling reporters: "It is really impressive, his improvement here in Frankfurt. For Omar, he is a really good guy, an emotional guy. He needs to feel the love of everyone."
The Egyptian attacker has netted 11 times and registered seven assists in just 10 league matches, and his form has seen him linked with some of Europe's biggest clubs.
The Eagles have scored 26 times and conceded on 16 occasions, and these are the division's second best and ninth best records respectively.
Eintracht Frankfurt are in fine form considering they have won their four most recent games and have triumphed in 10, drawn three and lost just one of their last 14 competitive matches.
The hosts have also been outstanding at home, winning six and drawing two of their last eight fixtures at Deutsche Bank Park.
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Saturday's visitors come into the clash having taken all three points against Holstein Kiel thanks to Oliver Burke's 89th-minute winner.
Werder Bremen were no doubt deserving victors given they created three big chances and produced 1.72 xG, nearly triple the figure their opponents managed.
Head coach Ole Werner's side have been vulnerable defensively this campaign, and their tally of 21 goals conceded in the top flight is the league's third-worst record.
Werner's team have picked up three victories and one draw in their four most recent games, losing just once in that time.
The visitors' away form this campaign has largely been excellent, as while they did succumb 4-1 to Borussia Monchengladbach on November 3, they emerged as winners in their prior five fixtures on the road, drawing the other.
Team News
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Eintracht Frankfurt centre-back Aurele Amenda is out until February next year as a result of ligament damage, while defender Rasmus Kristensen will not be available for selection until December.
Centre-back Arthur Theate could make an appearance but is a doubt, so expect Tuta and Robin Koch to shield goalkeeper Kevin Trapp.
Midfielder Oscar Hojlund is not scheduled to make his comeback from a broken ankle until late December 2024, and if Hugo Larsson is deemed not ready to return after suffering a hamstring injury on November 10, then Toppmoller may select a double pivot of Ellyes Skhiri and Mahmoud Dahoud.
Werder Bremen will be without midfielders Felix Agu and Jens Stage, so perhaps Leonardo Bittencourt and Senne Lynen will be trusted as a pairing in the middle of the pitch.
Striker Oliver Burke has been ruled out until December, and in his absence, Werner may field Keke Topp up front.
Milos Veljkovic, Marco Friedl and Anthony Jung are likely to be trusted in a back three, while Michael Zetterer is almost certain to be given the nod between the posts.
Eintracht Frankfurt possible starting lineup:
Trapp; Collins, Tuta, Koch, Brown; Knauff, Skhiri, Dahoud, Gotze; Marmoush, Ekitike
Werder Bremen possible starting lineup:
Zetterer; Veljkovic, Friedl, Jung; Weiser, Bittencourt, Lynen, Kohn; Ducksch, Schmid; Topp
We say: Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 Werder Bremen
Eintracht Frankfurt's strong home form and Marmoush's exploits in the final third should make them favourites on Saturday.
However, Werder Bremen have been difficult to beat on the road this season, and it would not be surprising if they managed to create opportunities of their own at Deutsche Bank Park.
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Lewis Nolan
