Five points separate Bayern Munich (1st) and Eintracht Frankfurt (4th) on Saturday in Munich. Bayern will be wanting to end their poor form, whilst Frankfurt will want to continue the good run of results they have been on.
After a positive end to the year, Bayern finds themselves in a rut once again. Last weekend they drew 1-1 with RB Leipzig, then in midweek they needed a late Joshua Kimmich goal to rescue a point at home to 1. FC Köln. These poor results have meant Bayern’s lead at the top of the table has slowly diminished to three points.
Where Bayern’s issues stem from are really unknown as they possess both the best defence in the league as well as the best attack and have only lost once this whole season but have overall not looked convincing in any of the games they have played. There has also been added tension within the squad with Serge Gnabry heading to Paris for fashion week during his day off which resulted in backlash from Hasan Salihamidžić.
Their opponents Frankfurt on the other hand could not be playing any better. After a slow start to the season, Frankfurt have blossomed into one of the most exciting teams in the league with one of the best attacks in Randal Kolo Muani, Jesper Lindstrøm, Daichi Kamada and Mario Götze. Lindstrøm has continued his breakthrough from last season where he won Bundesliga Rookie of the Year whilst Kolo Muani is one of the standout players this season scoring six and assisting 10 times. What makes it more impressive is the fact Frankfurt signed him on a free from Nantes in the summer.
In midweek they drew with Freiburg 1-1 having originally taken the lead through Kolo Muani. Matthias Ginter would equalise for Freiburg just after halftime.
The last time these two teams played, Bayern thrashed Frankfurt 6-1 but due to the direction that both teams have gone since that game, it will prove to be a lot closer the second time around. If Frankfurt wins, it will close the gap between Bayern and the chasing pack with Union Berlin and RB Leipzig only three and four points behind.
In the other meeting last season, Frankfurt won 2-1 in Munich which saw a strong display for Kevin Trapp.
GGFN | Jack Meenan
