Eintracht Frankfurt will be aiming to make it three wins on the bounce when they welcome Mainz to the Commerzbank Arena on Saturday afternoon.
By contrast, Mainz are still looking for their first win since the restart and are in serious danger of being dragged further into the Bundesliga relegation battle.
Frankfurt used their game in hand on Wednesday to great effect. A goal from Andre Silva and a brace from Stefan Ilsanker ensured they claimed a 3-0 victory over relegation strugglers Werder Bremen.
Eintracht returned from the three-month lay-off with two heavy defeats to Borussia Monchengladbach and Bayern Munich. But after drawing with Freiburg and beating Wolfsburg, Adi Hutter’s side are back on track.
There were fears that Frankfurt could become involved in the relegation battle. However, back-to-back wins have lifted Hutter’s men to 11th – eight points clear of the bottom three.
Sure, their defensive record isn’t great. But only the top five teams in the division have scored more goals than Frankfurt in 2019/20, and this is what’s kept them afloat.
Meanwhile, Mainz find themselves 15th – one point clear of the relegation playoff spot and three points clear of the bottom two. Two draws and two defeats since the restart have left the 05ers in a perilous position.
After coming from two goals down to rescue a draw with FC Koln, Mainz were hammered 5-0 by RB Leipzig. A draw with Union Berlin followed, before Mainz lost to Hoffenheim last time out.
Despite enjoying the lion’s share of the possession and notching up 11 shots, Mainz could only manage a single shot on target against Hoffenheim.
However, it’s at the other end of the pitch where Mainz have struggled the most this season. Achim Beierlorzer’s side have the joint-worst defensive record in the Bundesliga this term.
Mainz actually got the better of Frankfurt in the reverse fixture – claiming a 2-1 victory back in December. But Frankfurt have generally enjoyed playing Mainz in recent years and have avoided defeat in six of their last nine meetings.
Frankfurt are expected to be without injured duo Goncalo Paciencia and Gelson Fernandes this weekend, while Mainz will have Robin Zentner and Jeremiah St. Juste on the sidelines.
Eintracht look set to maintain their high-scoring run by securing another big win over a struggling Mainz outfit.
Good morning, Eagles! 🦅#SGE pic.twitter.com/tQKLFAsB2D— Eintracht Frankfurt (@eintracht_eng) June 4, 2020
Good morning, Eagles! 🦅#SGE pic.twitter.com/tQKLFAsB2D
Forebet predicts that Eintracht Frankfurt will score over 2.5 goals on their way to victory. However, given their poor defensive record, both teams are likely to score.