Another DFB-Pokal final? It’s a Leipzig thing!
RBL have made it to Berlin for the cup final for the fourth time over the last five years. Kick off at the Olympiastadion this Saturday is at 20:00CEST. Our lads have the chance to win our second DFB-Pokal titlein a row after a fantastic 5-1 semi-final win over SC Freiburg.
Our opponents in the capital are Eintracht Frankfurt. The Eagles got the better of VfB Stuttgart in the other semi-final, winning 3-2 despite trailing at one stage. SGE lifted the trophy in 2018 thanks to a 3-1 victory over FC Bayern.
Eintracht secured UEFA Conference League qualification with a 2-1 win against Freiburg last Saturday. A victory in Berlin would see them reach the UEFA Europa League. Read on to find out more about our opponents.
Eintracht form analysis
Frankfurt had a strong first half of the season, but this was only followed by a below-par second half to the campaign (12th in a table representing this period). Oliver Glasner’s team did at least find some form towards the end of the season, losing just one of their last five league games to secure European football at the death.
Eintracht have been a different beast in the DFB-Pokal this season. Prior to their semi-final win in Stuttgart, they knocked out recently promoted Darmstadt 98 and future Champions League participants Union Berlin.
Form facts
Eintracht…
- …have a top striker in their ranks. Randal Kolo Muani set up the second-most goals (11) and scored the third-most (15) in the Bundesliga this season. He also leads the DFB-Pokal goalscoring charts (6).
- …set up with a back-three/five under Glasner. Aside from defensive stability, their system also allows Aurelio Buta to get up and down the right wing with his pace.
- …have lots of attacking creativity in midfield. Mario Götze, Jesper Lindström and Daichi Kamada are all quick and extremely technically gifted footballers. The trio like to combine with Kolo Muani for quick counter-attacks.
Team news
Key players
- Randal Kolo Muani: Ended the Bundesliga season with the most goal contributions (15 goals, 11 assists), plus he has six goals and three assists in the Pokal. The French forward is quick, a good dribbler and strong in the air too. He’s extremely dangerous in the final third.
- Daichi Kamada: The Japanese midfielder had a brilliant first half of the season, but has somewhat lost his form since. He finished with nine league goals and has scored four so far in the Pokal. He often features as SGE’s playmaker and controls the game for them.
- Evan N’Dicka: The defender has played the full 90 minutes in 36 of their 43 competitive matches this season. At the tender age of just 23, he’s not just a tough tackler, but also boasts his team’s highest pass completion rate.
Injury list
- Hrvoje Smolcic (knee): The centre-back tore his outer meniscus while playing for Croatia U21s in a friendly at the end of March. He will only be able to return next season for SGE.
- Lucas Alario (knee): The striker has been suffering from knee issues for over three weeks now and remains a doubt for the cup final. He most likely would not start for Frankfurt anyway.
Coach: Oliver Glasner
The Pokal final will be the 48-year-old’s final game in charge of Eintracht. The club have already announced that the Austrian will be leaving following the end of this season. Nonetheless, Glasner has enjoyed a hugely successful spell with the Eagles.
Glasner guided the Eagles to the Europa League title last season, which in turn saw them qualify for the Champions League for the first time in their history. They got through the group stage this season, eventually losing to Napoli in the round of 16. Frankfurt have already booked their place in Europe again for 2023/24.
Profile
- Age: 48
- Clubs as coach: SV Ried, LASK, VfL Wolfsburg, Eintracht Frankfurt
- SGE record: 96 games | 39 wins | 29 draws | 28 defeats
- Record against RBL: 10 games | 1 win | 6 draws | 3 defeats
- Preferred system: 3-4-2-1
RBL record against Eintracht Frankfurt
Head-to-head
- 15 games | 4 wins | 7 draws | 4 defeats – 17:20 goals
- Top goalscorers: Yussuf Poulsen, Timo Werner (4 goals each)
- Biggest win: 3-0 on 21st January 2017 (Goals: Marvin Compper, Timo Werner, Jesús Vallejo (OG))
The last five meetings
- 25th February 2023 | Bundesliga, Matchday 22: RB Leipzig 2-1 Eintracht Frankfurt
- 3rd September 2022 | Bundesliga, Matchday 5: Eintracht Frankfurt 4-0 RB Leipzig
- 20th March 2022 | Bundesliga, Matchday 27: RB Leipzig 0-0 Eintracht Frankfurt
- 30th October 2021 | Bundesliga, Matchday 10: Eintracht Frankfurt 1-1 RB Leipzig
- 14th March 2021 | Bundesliga, Matchday 25: RB Leipzig 1-1 Eintracht Frankfurt