After the 3-2 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur, Eintracht Frankfurt host Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the Bundesliga on Saturday afternoon (kick-off 3:30 p.m.). The Werkself also suffered a defeat in the Champions League during the week (0:3 against FC Porto).
“We arrived at 6 p.m. yesterday and thought the boys would be more tired today,” said Oliver Glasner at the media round on Friday afternoon. “But they are absolutely fresh and make a great impression mentally,” emphasized the Austrian, who had a few words of praise for the guests from Leverkusen: “The team has a lot of pace, is very robust in central defense and has an incredibly strong midfield.”
Leverkusen finished third last season, kept the top performers and strengthened in the summer. “Regardless of the change of coach, I mentioned Leverkusen with Leipzig as Bayern’s biggest competitor before the season,” the SBU coach continued. In addition to the German record champions, Xabi Alonso’s team has the fastest pace in the league. “We have to be prepared for everything and play our game through: play forward, act compactly, have good ball relay and create chances to score,” said Glasner, setting out the route.
The personnel situation “unfortunately has worsened,” explained the trainer. Veteran Makoto Hasebe tore a knee ligament in London on Wednesday evening and will be out for several weeks. In addition to the Japanese, Ansgar Knauff (thigh fascial injury), Aurelio Buta (training after knee surgery), Luca Pellegrini (shoulder injury), Almamy Touré and Jerome Onguené (both training deficits) are not available.
“We have to accept our current situation,” said the Eintracht coach, looking at the list of absentees. You have had to improvise on the defensive for weeks anyway. “For me it’s important that the players accept the situation and do their best work that is possible in an unfamiliar position,” said Glasner. “There are always solutions.” Faride Alidou and Eric Junior Dina Ebimbe are candidates for the flanks and Hrvoje Smolcic, left-footed in the back three, can also start on the right.
TW: Kevin Trapp – As usual, the national keeper is between the posts. IV: Hrvoje Smolcic – Despite Hasebe’s failure, Glasner could hold on to the back three. Besides Smolcic, Kristijan Jakic is also a candidate for the right flank. However, the Croatian recently delivered an extremely poor performance, and not only in London. IV: Tuta – It is conceivable that the Brazilian will move into the middle of the back three. However, if Tuta remains on the right flank, Jakic could also take over the Hasebe position.IV: Evan N’Dicka – The Frenchman completes the chain of three.RM: Eric Junior Dina Ebimbe – The newcomer from Paris is a hottie for the right flank Candidate.CM: Djibril Sow – The Swiss is expected to be part of the starting lineup again.CM: Daichi Kamada – Should captain Sebastian Rode be given a break, the Japanese could move back one position.LM: Christopher Lenz – Is on the left wing Alidou the more offensive alternative.OM: Jesper Lindström – The Danish national player should start again in the offensive midfield. Rafael Borré is also an option.OM: Mario Götze – The world champion should start half-left.MS: Randal Kolo Muani – The 23-year-old is expected in the center of attack.
Should Glasner not stick to the 3-4-2-1 system, Eintracht should play in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
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This article was originally published on 90min.com/de as Eintracht Frankfurt: The expected line-up against Bayer 04 Leverkusen.
