RB Leipzig and Eintracht Frankfurt Set to Clash in DFB-Pokal Final
RB Leipzig and Eintracht Frankfurt are set to face off in the DFB-Pokal final at the Olympiastadion in Berlin on Saturday. Leipzig will be looking to defend their title, while Frankfurt aims to win their sixth German domestic cup triumph, which would leave them behind only Bayern Munich as the competition’s joint-second most successful team in history.
Leipzig secured their first major trophy last season by beating Freiburg on penalties in a dramatic final. They defeated Christian Streich’s side once again, this time around at the semi-final stage to make it to their third consecutive cup final. Marco Rose’s side should head into Saturday’s final with plenty of confidence after winning seven of their final eight Bundesliga games to ensure that they will compete in the Champions League for the fifth successive campaign.
Frankfurt, on the other hand, will be looking to win their second major trophy in two seasons after sensationally lifting the Europa League in Oliver Glasner’s first season in charge. Whether they will represent Germany in the Europa League or Europa Conference League next season comes down to their result in Saturday’s cup final.
Possible Starting Lineups and Predictions
Leipzig suffered a blow in training during the week, with former Frankfurt forward Andre Silva set to miss out on the chance of scoring against his former club after incurring a serious thigh injury. First-choice goalkeeper Peter Gulasci remains sidelined due to a serious ACL injury, with Jan Blaswich likely to be preferred to Orjan Nyland between the posts. Josko Gvardiol is suspended after being sent off in the semi-final against Freiburg.
Frankfurt must decide whether to select Daichi Kamada or club captain Sebastian Rode alongside Switzerland international Djibril Sow at the base of their midfield. Given Leipzig’s ability to produce rapid counter-attacks, Rode may be preferred by Glasner as a more solid option. Eintracht Frankfurt’s possible starting lineup includes Trapp, Tuta, Hasebe, Ndicka, Buta, Rode, Sow, Lenz, Lindstrom, Gotze, and Kolo Muani.
Both teams are capable of producing excellent offensive football on their day, which should help produce a thrilling DFB-Pokal final in the German capital on Saturday. However, Leipzig head into this match in considerably superior form across recent months, while they clearly possess more match-winners at their disposal. As such, we expect them to retain the trophy in regular time.
Keywords: RB Leipzig, Eintracht Frankfurt, DFB-Pokal, final, Olympiastadion, Berlin, Bayern Munich, Champions League, Europa League, Europa Conference League, Andre Silva, Peter Gulasci, Josko Gvardiol, Daichi Kamada, Sebastian Rode, Djibril Sow, Trapp, Tuta, Hasebe, Ndicka, Buta, Lenz, Lindstrom, Gotze, Kolo Muani.