Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Bayern Munich – prediction, team news, lineups
Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Bayern Munich: On Friday night, Eintracht Frankfurt will play host to Bayern Munich in the opening game of the 2022-23 Bundesliga season.
Bayern hopes to win the Bundesliga for the 11th time in a row, while Frankfurt is looking to defend its Europa League title.
For his first season in charge of Frankfurt, Oliver Glasner managed to lead his team to the Europa League quarterfinals without losing a single match.
Barcelona’s quarter-final defeat by West Ham United and Rangers was perhaps the highlight of their trophy-winning run, as Glasner’s side won their first European trophy in 32 years.
While Die Adler’s league form was hampered by their Europa League success, few fans would argue with a mid-table finish given that winning the competition grants direct qualification to the Champions League group stage and is a fantastic title to achieve in its own right.
It’s safe to say that Glasner will be demanding more from Wolfsburg’s domestic players this season, after guiding the club to fourth place in Bundesliga before moving to Frankfurt.
On Monday, they got off to a winning start in the DFB-Pokal with a 4-0 away win against Magdeburg, with rookie Lucas Alario getting on the scoresheet.
Even though they face Bayern Munich in their opening Bundesliga encounter on Friday, the signings of Mario Gotze and Alario, as well as Filip Kostic’s significant interest from West Ham, signal that they are capable of competing on all fronts.
Bayern Munich still looked deadly in the German Super Cup win over RB Leipzig last weekend, despite the loss of Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona.
The Bavarians led 3-0 at halftime against Julian Nagelsmann’s previous club with to goals from Jamal Musiala, debutant Sadio Mane, and Benjamin Pavard before holding off a strong second-half comeback by last season’s DFB-Pokal winners.
It was, in fact, a wonderful start to the Bundesliga season, with both teams putting on a fantastic display of football. Nagelsmann’s tactical plan suited Sadio Mane, who cost around £35 million from Liverpool and helped to fill Lewandowski’s void. Mane looked comfortable in a central role and his natural tendency to drift left worked well for him.
Leroy Sane’s late strike in injury time put an end to any last-gasp anxieties, and he looked like he was back to his best. Ex-Manchester City winger showed wonderful poise to beat goalkeepers Peter Gulasci and Hugo Novoa and send the ball into an almost empty net from the halfway line.
Despite the fact that Bayern’s opponents on Friday are likely to be more determined, it is difficult to imagine anyone stopping them this season on their current form.”
The most recent information about the team
Injured defenders Jerome Onguene and Aurelio Buta will miss Frankfurt’s upcoming matchup against Bayern Munich.
Glasner, on the other hand, appears to have a complete squad at his disposal, and the 4-0 victory over Magdeburg on Monday may convince him to stick with the same starting lineup.
Former Wolfsburg manager will almost probably beef up the middle of the park against such dangerous opponents despite Daichi Kamada’s two goals from deep in midfield.
To accommodate Kristijan Jakic, Jesper Lindstrom may have to be replaced by Japan international Gotze in the starting line-up.
Until Santos Borre, who was selected to the Europa League Team of the Year after numerous impressive displays last season, can return to the starting lineup, Alario will look to make an impression off the bench once more.
Bayern will be without Leon Goretzka, who is still recovering from knee surgery, for the remainder of the trip.
In Goretzka’s absence, Marcel Sabitzer has shown promise in preseason and should partner Joshua Kimmich in central midfield.
A suspension for Kingsley Coman from his red card against Wolfsburg at the end of last season means that Nagelsmann must choose between Musiala and Sane for the left-wing position.
After Musiala’s impressive first-half performance against Leipzig, when his boss described the 19-year-old as “world class,” it’s possible that Sane may be relegated to the role of super sub once more.
It is virtually inevitable that Mane will start for the first time in the Bundesliga, but fellow new addition Matthijs De Ligt will be selected on the bench.
Eintracht Frankfurt likely starting lineup:
Trapp; Toure, Tuta, N’Dicka; Knauff, Jakic, Sow, Kostic; Kamada, Gotze; Borre
Bayern Munich’s likely starting lineup:
Neuer; Pavard, Upamecano, Hernandez, Davies; Sabitzer, Kimmich; Gnabry, Muller, Musiala; Mane
Munich must prepare for a tough opening day test against Frankfurt, who could improve on last season’s 11th-placed finish.
It’s possible, however, that Bayern Munich may have too much firepower on the day, as they showed against RB Leipzig last weekend.