RB Leipzig vs. Eintracht Frankfurt: Head-to-head ahead of the DFB-Pokal final

RB Leipzig vs. Eintracht Frankfurt

This coming Saturday (20:00 CEST), RB Leipzig will compete in their third DFB-Pokal final in a row. What a run! RBL’s opponents at the Olympiastadion in Berlin will be Eintracht Frankfurt.

For both teams, it is the highlight for this season. After a strong third-placed finish in the Bundesliga and Champions League qualification, RBL now obviously want to lift the cup once again and defend their title.

Oliver Glasner’s side are also keen to win the trophy. SGE have found their best form in European competition in the past, and it is no surprise that they won the Europa League last season. Frankfurt won the Pokal in 2018, and a year before made the DFB-Pokal final.

We look at five key duels for the game. One thing for certain is that a France international will be on the winning side.

Key duels #RBLSGE

All Highlights!

Janis Blaswich vs. Kevin Trapp

Following a serious injury to Péter Gulácsi, RBL’s reserve keeper Janis Blaswichhas been the main man between the sticks since October 2022. Since then, the 31-year-old has delivered flawless performances week after week in all three competitions.

Blaswich is a real calming influence who his teammates in front of him know they can rely on.

The same goes for Kevin Trapp who became Eintracht Frankfurt’s goalkeeping record appearance holder last weekend. Trapp played his 235rdBundesliga game for the club on matchday 34. Germany’s number three is a proper stalwart for the club, and has only missed one competitive game for the team all season.

Regardless of whether in the League, Pokal or Champions League, the 32-year-old has been a consistent performer since his return to Frankfurt in August 2018.

Willi Orbán vs. Makoto Hasebe

RBL’s current captain is an absolute model example of consistency, reliability and leadership. At the other end, Willi Orbán also provides an attacking threat, scoring four Bundesliga goals in the second half of the season. His most important goal came on matchday 33 against Werder Bremen. Willi headed home an equaliser in the 87th minute, sparking a last minute comeback!

Like Trapp, Orbán has only missed one competitive game this season, in this case because there are more important things than sport. In February, Will donated stem cells in February as a match for someone with blood cancer.

Makoto Hasebe is without doubt a poster child for Japanese football not just because of his attitude and discipline. The central defender, who can also play in defensive midfield, turned 39 years old in January, making him the oldest active player in the German top flight. His age has not affected his ability to put in top performances, even with three games a week over 90 minutes.

Hasebe has played in Germany for 15 years (previously with VfL Wolfsburg and 1.FC Nürnberg and is the Asian player with the most appearances in the Bundesliga. And he is not done yet: In March he put pen to paper on a new contract running until June 2024.

Konrad Laimer vs. Djibril Sow

Konrad Laimer is an extremely important part of the Leipzig puzzle due to his abilities out of possession. The midfield enforcer knows how to intercept the ball, win tackles and immediately get on the attack like almost no other. The Austria international covers a lot of ground and also has a good eye for finding space.

With his equalising goal against Bayern Munich, Konni paved the way to an historic away win on matchday 33 and a fifth Champions League qualification in a row. The 26-year-old was also there to score the opener on the final day of the season against Schalke 04. Eight yellow cards in the Bundesliga show that he adds a tenacious quality to the midfield.

Frankfurt‘s Djibril Sow sits on nine cautions. The Switzerland international sets the pace for Eintracht in central midfield and is important to balancing their build-up. Sow constantly delivers clever passes forward but can also calm play down when he has to.

The 26-year-old doesn’t stop running for SGE and belongs among the main core group of players. He has played 32 games in the Bundesliga, as well as all five in the Pokal and all eight in the Champions League.

Dani Olmo vs. Mario Götze

It’s a joy to watch a fully fit Dani Olmoplaying. Capable in all positions in RB Leipzig’s attacking midfield, the Spaniard is responsible for a lot of their creativity through his understanding of the game. In addition, “El Mago” (the magician) has an outstanding shot technique with a strong right foot.

The Catalan-born player is also quick on his feet and almost unstoppable when dribbling, creating big chances time and time again. He is agile and constantly plays towards the opposition’s goal. In the DFB-Pokal semi-final in Freiburg, the 25-year-old scored one goal and made three assists, all in the first 45 minutes!

Mario Götze has an almost identical profile, even though the 2014 World Cup winner with Germany will be 31 on the day of the cup final. Ten years ago, the former Dortmund and Bayern player was considered the greatest talent in German football and moved from BVB to Bayern. His career faltered there and his return to Dortmund was not exactly marked by success. The playmaker decided to move to the Netherlands and found his old form and joy at playing again at PSV Eindhoven.

Last year, Eintracht brought him back to the Bundesliga. At SGE, Götze turned the clock back, especially in the first half of the season, and even made it back into the Germanynational team. It’s clear that the SGE player is still one of Germany’s very best!

Christopher Nkunku vs. Randal Kolo Muani

16 goals in just 25 Bundesliga games to win the Bundesliga top goalscorer award, plus two more in the DFB-Pokal and three in the Champions League: despite a difficult season due to two injuries, Christopher Nkunku is once again RBL’s top scorer. He is a versatile player and can be used both up top and on the wing.

The Frenchman can do everything, especially one-on-one with defenders and finishing. He has the wholepackage in attack with his game intelligence. The 25-year-old made his debut in the “Équipe Tricolore“ just over a year ago. Unfortunately, he missed the World Cup in Qatar due to a knee injury.

Randal Kolo Muani, of all people, benefitted from this injury. The striker from Frankfurt was given a late call-up and had a great tournament. Among other things, he helped the France national team reach the final with a goal in the semi-final. In his first season in Germany, Kolo Muani has also impressed with a total of 23 goals and 14 assists after his transfer from Nantes last summer.

In addition to his finishing quality, the Frenchman particularly impresses with his ability to find teammates, athleticism and speed. In addition, the attacker can be used in different positions: either as a classic target man, on the wing or as a false nine.