Deutsche Bank Park is all set for what feels like a cup final way too early, as Eintracht Frankfurt welcome Borussia Dortmund in the second round of the DFB-Pokal. Both sides have had mixed starts to the season, and this one could swing either way depending on who turns up sharper.
Team NewsFrankfurt head into this match with a bit of confidence after finally ending a poor run that included a 5-1 thrashing by Liverpool in the Champions League by beating St Pauli 2-0 last weekend, their first clean sheet in 11 matches. Softfootball understands that Dino Toppmoller's men looked more composed defensively and played with a little swagger too. They sit sixth in the Bundesliga with 13 points, four behind Dortmund, but still 11 off Bayern Munich, who are already running away again.
The Eagles will take some encouragement from their Pokal history they reached the final in 2022-23 losing 2-0 to RB Leipzig and have made the round of 16 twice since. Still, consistency has been a problem, especially at home, where they've struggled to control games.