Die Adler desperate for a win

By Ben Sully @SullyBen

After failing to any of their last six matches across all competitions, Eintracht Frankfurt will attempt to return to winning ways when they face Bochum on Friday.

Eintracht Frankfurt

The international period may have come at a good time for an Eintracht Frankfurt side that have drawn two and lost four of their last six competitive games. Prior to the two-week break, Frankfurt were beaten 2-0 by Union Berlin, leaving die Adler six points adrift of the top four.

Although the sixth-placed side will be keen to reignite their quest for a Champions League place, they will need to be wary of the teams chasing from behind.

Frankfurt will be able to draw inspiration from the fact that they have gone five consecutive Bundesliga home games without defeat for the first time in Oliver Glasner’s tenure. They will also be confident of troubling the scorers, having found the net in 11 of their 12 league matches at Deutsche Bank Park this season.

Although they were beaten 3-0 in the reverse fixture, Frankfurt usually fare well in home games against Bochum, losing just one of their 17 competitive home meetings.

Team News

Jesper Lindstrøm will miss out with an ankle problem, while Tuta is suspended due to an accumulation of yellow cards. There is also doubts surrounding the availability of Almamy Toure due to an injury issue.

Bochum

In contrast to their hosts, Bochum may have been frustrated with the timing of the international break. After suffering six straight defeats in all competitions, Thomas Letsch’s side managed to turn a corner by claiming consecutive victories.

Die Unabsteigbaren followed a 2-0 away win against FC Köln with a notable 1-0 victory over RB Leipzig. Those results helped Bochum establish a four-point gap to the bottom three, but with nine games to go in the season, their place in the Bundesliga is far from secure.

Having conceded 56 goals in 25 league games, Bochum hold the worst defensive record in the top flight this season, but they have shown signs of improvement in recent weeks with back-to-back clean sheets. They now have the chance to equal a club record of three consecutive Bundesliga shutouts, which was set in October 2003.