In the Bundesliga on Saturday, Eintracht Frankfurt will look to collect their first three points of the season when they welcome FC Koln.
The visitors have enjoyed a promising start to their campaign and they head into the weekend in seventh position having amassed eight points so far this term.
Match preview
Oliver Glasner is still searching for his first win as Frankfurt boss with the story of their season so far being the failure to convert draws into victories, which has seen their last five games in all competitions end all square.
The campaign did not get off to the best of starts as they were thrashed 5-2 on the opening matchday away to Borussia Dortmund, but they bounced back the following week by earning a point at Augsburg.
Their last four fixtures in all competitions have ended 1-1, which means they are languishing in 15th position in the Bundesliga, having collected only four points so far this term.
Last weekend, Frankfurt drew away to Wolfsburg - a team Glasner guided to a fourth-place finish last term - with Sam Lammers giving the SGE the lead, only for Wout Weghorst to grab a goal in the second half to ensure the spoils were shared.
Frankfurt will aim to replicate the scoreline from their last meeting with Koln, which saw the SGE win 2-0 at home and a similar result on Saturday would give the hosts a precious first victory of the season.
Koln have started this season in impressive fashion after narrowly avoiding the drop last term courtesy of a relegation playoff victory over Holstein Kiel.
The Billy Goats are six points better off than they were at the same stage last season, which will be music to the ears of head coach Steffen Baumgart.
Their campaign got off to a winning start at home to Hertha Berlin and a defeat to Bayern Munich did not knock them off course as they responded by beating Bochum 2-1 the following week.
Their last two outings have resulted in successive 1-1 draws against Freiburg and RB Leipzig with the latter ending all square after Anthony Modeste's opener was cancelled out by Leipzig's Amadou Haidara.
Koln have failed to beat Frankfurt in their last three meetings and if they are to end that run, then their top scorer Modeste will be important, as the 33-year-old has bagged four of the nine goals the Billy Goats have scored this season.
- L
- D
- D
- D
- D
- L
- D
- D
- D
- D
- D
- W
- L
- W
- D
- D
- W
- W
- L
- W
- D
- D
Team News
Frankfurt are without Christopher Lenz and Sebastian Rode, who are both injury absentees.
In addition, there were concerns after Erik Durm limped out of training on Thursday, but Glasner has said the left-back is fit to play at the weekend.
The Frankfurt boss could name a similar side to the one that faced Wolfsburg as Glasner aims to guide his side to their first victory of the season.
Koln still have Jannes Horn out due to a hip injury, while Tim Lemperle will miss the game with an ankle problem.
Baumgart will have Florian Kainz back available after the Austrian served a one-match suspension for being dismissed against Freiburg a couple of weeks ago.
That means that Jan Thielmann could make way, so Kainz can come back into the starting lineup.
Eintracht Frankfurt possible starting lineup:
Trapp; Da Costa, N'Dicka, Hinteregger, Durm; Sow, Jakic, Kamada; Borre, Kostic, Lammers
FC Koln possible starting lineup:
Horn; Schmitz, Kilian, Czichos, Hector; Ljubicic, Skhiri, Duda, Kainz; Uth, Modeste
We say: Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 FC Koln
Despite being winless this season, Frankfurt can take confidence from the fact they are unbeaten in their last five matches in all competitions.
Though Koln have been in fine form, they are yet to win away this term, and as a result we think Frankfurt will edge this encounter to get their first three points of the campaign.
Top tip
body check tags ::
Previews by email
