Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Bayer Leverkusen | Bundesliga | Pre Match
Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Bayer Leverkusen
Two of the Bundesliga’s top scorers will be on display when Patrik Schick’s Bayer Leverkusen visits Hugo Ekitike’s Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday, a matchup that pits second-ranked Schick (15 goals) against seventh-ranked Ekitike (12) in a clash of attacking titans at Deutsche Bank Park. Leverkusen, riding high after a 2-0 victory over Holstein Kiel last time out, sit near the top of the Bundesliga table, their 2.2 goals per game (second in the league) fueled by Amine Adli and Schick’s strikes in that win. Frankfurt, meanwhile, are licking their wounds after a 4-0 drubbing by Bayern Munich on February 23, a result that halted their momentum and exposed defensive frailties despite their third-ranked 2.1 goals per game. This encounter promises fireworks, with Leverkusen’s +24 goal differential (second) and Frankfurt’s +16 (third) highlighting two of the league’s most potent offenses, underpinned by shot volumes—331 for Leverkusen (second) and 13.2 per game for Frankfurt (third). Defensively, Leverkusen concede 1.2 goals per game (third), while Frankfurt’s 1.4 (sixth) suggests vulnerability Bayern exploited, setting up a battle where Schick and Ekitike could dictate the outcome as both sides chase crucial points in the Bundesliga race.
Bayer Leverkusen’s 2-0 triumph over Holstein Kiel showcased their attacking cohesion, with Adli and Schick delivering the goods to secure three points away from home, reinforcing their status as a Bundesliga powerhouse averaging 2.2 goals per match—second only to Bayern Munich. Schick’s 15 goals place him second in the scoring charts, a tally bolstered by Florian Wirtz’s nine goals and 12 assists, a dazzling contribution that drives Leverkusen’s offense. Victor Boniface (seven goals, two assists) and Jeremie Frimpong (three goals, three assists) add depth, their 331 shots across 23 matches (second in the league) yielding a +139 shot differential (+6.0 per game), also second-best. Defensively, they’re stingy, conceding just 1.2 goals per game (third) and 8.3 shots per match (second), a balance that’s yielded a +24 goal differential—second only to Bayern. Facing Frankfurt, who ship 1.4 goals per game (sixth) and faced 293 shots (14th), Leverkusen’s attack could feast, especially after Frankfurt’s 4-0 Bayern thrashing exposed cracks. Schick’s form, paired with Wirtz’s creativity, positions Leverkusen to exploit a Frankfurt defense reeling from Bayern’s nine big chances, potentially widening their edge in this high-stakes showdown.
Eintracht Frankfurt’s 4-0 loss to Bayern Munich on February 23 was a rude awakening, Bayern’s onslaught—nine big chances, no response—snapping a run of form that had seen them averaging 2.1 goals per game, third in the Bundesliga, driven by Ekitike’s 12 goals (seventh in the league). Nathaniel Brown (three goals, five assists), Ansgar Knauff (one goal, five assists), and Can Yılmaz Uzun (four goals, two assists) bolster an attack that takes 13.2 shots per match (third), but their +16 goal differential (third) and +11 shot differential (+0.5 per game, sixth) took a hit in Munich. Conceding 1.4 goals per game (sixth) and facing 293 shots (14th), Frankfurt’s defense faltered against Bayern’s 2.76 goals-per-game average, a warning sign as they host Leverkusen’s 2.2. Ekitike’s two assists complement his scoring, but Bayern’s clean sheet—their third straight—highlights Frankfurt’s struggle to convert chances (zero big chances created). Leverkusen’s 1.2 goals conceded per game and 8.3 shots allowed suggest a tighter test, but Frankfurt’s home crowd at Deutsche Bank Park could rally them to match Leverkusen’s firepower in a duel of top scorers.
The matchup stats paint a vivid picture: Leverkusen’s 2.2 goals per game (second) against Frankfurt’s 1.4 conceded (sixth), and Frankfurt’s 2.1 scored (third) versus Leverkusen’s 1.2 conceded (third), promising a goal-laden affair driven by Schick and Ekitike. Leverkusen’s 331 shots (second) and +139 shot differential (+6.0, second) dwarf Frankfurt’s 304 shots (implied third) and +11 differential (+0.5, sixth), reflecting Leverkusen’s relentless pressure—14.4 shots per game—against Frankfurt’s 13.2. Defensively, Leverkusen’s 8.3 shots conceded per match (second) edges Frankfurt’s 12.7 faced (14th), a gap Bayern exploited with nine big chances to Frankfurt’s zero. Leverkusen’s +24 goal differential trails only Bayern, while Frankfurt’s +16 ranks third, but their 4-0 loss—conceding four to Bayern’s 69 goals—shows vulnerability Leverkusen’s 50 goals (2.2 per game) could punish. Schick’s 15 and Ekitike’s 12 headline this clash, but Wirtz’s 12 assists and Frankfurt’s supporting cast—Brown, Knauff, Uzun—could tip the scales. A high-scoring draw or narrow Leverkusen win feels likely, given both sides’ attacking bent and Frankfurt’s need to rebound at home.
Leverkusen’s leaders shine brightly, with Schick’s 15 goals (second in the Bundesliga) anchoring an attack that’s clicked under Xabi Alonso, his strike against Kiel part of a 2-0 win that showcased their 2.2 goals-per-game average. Wirtz’s nine goals and 12 assists—a league-leading creative haul—fuel a side that’s taken 331 shots (second), their +139 shot differential (+6.0 per game) a testament to dominance. Boniface’s seven goals and two assists, paired with Frimpong’s three each, give Leverkusen a multi-pronged threat, averaging 14.4 shots per match against Frankfurt’s 12.7 conceded (14th). Their 1.2 goals conceded per game (third) and 8.3 shots allowed (second) held firm against Kiel, a resilience Frankfurt’s 1.4 conceded (sixth) couldn’t muster against Bayern. Schick’s duel with Ekitike—12 goals, seventh—headlines, but Wirtz’s playmaking could unlock Frankfurt’s defense, still smarting from Bayern’s four goals. Leverkusen’s +24 goal differential (second) and third-ranked 28 conceded dwarf Frankfurt’s +16 and 33, positioning them to exploit a home side desperate to erase the memory of a 4-0 rout with a response driven by their third-ranked 2.1 goals per game.
Frankfurt’s leaders, led by Ekitike’s 12 goals and two assists (seventh in the Bundesliga), face a stern test against Leverkusen after Bayern’s 4-0 humbling, their 2.1 goals per game (third) silenced by Bayern’s third straight clean sheet. Brown’s three goals and five assists, Knauff’s one and five, and Uzun’s four and two fuel an attack taking 13.2 shots per match (third), their +11 shot differential (+0.5, sixth) modest against Leverkusen’s +139. The Bayern loss—293 shots faced all season (14th)—exposed a defense conceding 1.4 goals per game (sixth), a step down from Leverkusen’s 1.2 (third). Ekitike’s 12 goals match Schick’s threat, but Frankfurt’s 33 conceded (1.4 average) versus Leverkusen’s 28 (1.2) and 8.3 shots allowed (second) suggest a tougher task. At home, their +16 goal differential (third) and 48 goals scored (2.1 average) offer hope, but Bayern’s nine big chances to their zero dented confidence. Leverkusen’s 331 shots (second) and Schick-Wirtz axis could overwhelm, though Ekitike and company, backed by Deutsche Bank Park, aim to rebound with a performance matching their third-ranked scoring rate.
Saturday’s clash at Deutsche Bank Park pits Leverkusen’s 2-0 Kiel win—Schick’s 15 goals, Wirtz’s 9 and 12—against Frankfurt’s 4-0 Bayern loss, Ekitike’s 12 goals tested by a defense conceding 1.2 per game (third) to Frankfurt’s 1.4 (sixth). Leverkusen’s 2.2 goals per game (second), +24 differential (second), and +139 shot differential (second) outshine Frankfurt’s 2.1 (third), +16 (third), and +11 (sixth), their 331 shots (second) dwarfing Frankfurt’s 293 faced (14th). Schick versus Ekitike headlines, but Wirtz’s assists, Boniface’s seven goals, and Frankfurt’s Brown-Knauff-Uzun trio broaden the battle. Leverkusen’s 8.3 shots conceded (second) trumps Frankfurt’s 12.7 faced (14th), a gap Bayern exploited. A 3-2 Leverkusen win feels plausible—Schick and Wirtz capitalizing on Frankfurt’s shaken backline, Ekitike striking back—but Frankfurt’s home fight and 13.2 shots per game (third) could force a draw, blending Leverkusen’s edge with Frankfurt’s resilience in a top-scorers’ showdown.
