Two of the Bundesliga's in-form teams go head-to-head on Wednesday evening as Freiburg host Eintracht Frankfurt.
Both sides have moved into the top half of the table in recent weeks after a run of hugely improved performances and results.
Match preview
© Reuters
Having won five consecutive Bundesliga matches for the first time in the club's history, Freiburg travelled to Bayern Munich with genuine belief of gaining a positive result, particularly after the Bavarians' back-to-back defeats against Borussia Monchengladbach and Holstein Kiel.
Fears of a Bayern backlash would have grown, though, after Robert Lewandowski's early strike gave the hosts the lead. However, as they often do, Christian Streich's side dug in and stayed in the game, with Nils Petersen levelling the proceedings after the hour mark mere moments after replacing Ermedin Demirovic from the substitutes' bench.
However, the game subsequently hinged on one player taking his chance and the other not: Thomas Muller showed trademark composure by firing his shot into the ground and the bottom corner after excellent play by Leroy Sane, before Petersen rattled the crossbar from a central position in injury time, with Bayern holding out for a narrow 2-1 victory.
Streich will be focusing on the positives from the game, though, with his side representing good value to have earned a point away to the best side in the league. As such, there is every chance of another winning run beginning against Frankfurt on Wednesday.
© Reuters
Adi Hutter's side will certainly have something to say about that, though, having won four league games in a row ahead of their trip to Freiburg.
Frankfurt were far superior to Schalke 04 on their way to a 3-1 victory, with Luka Jovic coming off the bench to score a brace on his second debut for the club, having joined on loan from Real Madrid last week.
Andre Silva had opened the scoring with his 12th league goal of the season in the first half, but the hosts found themselves pegged back within a minute by Matthew Hoppe's fourth goal in two matches. However, Hutter's side showcased their improved defensive organisation of late throughout, with Hoppe's strike the visitors' only shot on target across the 90 minutes.
Indeed, having failed to keep a clean sheet in their opening 12 matches, Frankfurt have since only conceded two goals in four games, which seems like a recipe for success given the goals Silva and Jovic are almost guaranteed to offer, especially with the likes of Daichi Kamada and Filip Kostic feeding them.
Freiburg Bundesliga form: WWWWWL
Freiburg form (all competitions): WWLWWL
Eintracht Frankfurt Bundesliga form: LDWWWW
Eintracht Frankfurt form (all competitions): DWWWLW
Team News
© Reuters
Freiburg are likely to be without Gian-Luca Itter, Jonathan Schmid, Mark Flekken and Kwon Chang-hoon for the visit of Frankfurt.
Baptiste Santamaria hobbled off in the fifth minute during the defeat to Bayern so may not be risked, while Petersen's instant impact may see him earn a start in attack.
Frankfurt, meanwhile, appear to be very healthy on the injury front, with only Ragnar Ache and Sebastian Rode ruled out of the trip to Freiburg with injury.
Jovic will almost certainly start alongside Silva in attack, with Hutter having to choose between Kamada and Amin Younes in behind the front two.
Freiburg possible starting lineup:
Muller; Lienhart, Schlotterbeck, Gulde; Kubler, Abrashi, Hofler, Gunter; Petersen, Demirovic, Grifo
Eintracht Frankfurt possible starting lineup:
Trapp; Abraham, Hinteregger, N'Dicka; Durm, Sow, Hasebe, Kostic; Kamada; Jovic, Silva
We say: Freiburg 1-2 Eintracht Frankfurt
We can envisage an exciting match between two of the in-form sides in the division, but suspect Frankfurt may have a little too much quality for the hosts.
Frankfurt are a completely different animal now that they appear to be improving defensively and can partner Silva with an equally top-class striker in Jovic.
