Frankfurt vs Dortmund Prediction
🔊 The Bundesliga kicks off 2026 with a thrilling Friday night showdown. In the 16th round of the championship, seventh-placed Eintracht welcome Borussia Dortmund, who sit second in the table, to Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt. Despite the gap between them, the Eagles are just seven points shy of catching the Black and Yellows, and a potential home victory could propel them back into the European competition spots. Meanwhile, the visitors are trailing behind leaders Bayern Munich, making their primary focus, in our humble opinion, to maintain their second-place standing, with Bayer Leverkusen and RB Leipzig also in contention. In our prediction, we'll delve into the latest updates from both clubs during the break and attempt to answer whether Frankfurt can avenge their exit from the DFB-Pokal at the hands of Dortmund two months ago.
Head-to-Head
📊 Borussia have secured victory in six of their last ten Bundesliga clashes against Eintracht, drawing twice and losing twice. However, the Eagles came out on top in their most recent head-to-head, winning 2-0 at Deutsche Bank Park last season with goals from Hugo Ekitike and Oscar Højlund. This season, the teams have already met in the DFB-Pokal Round of 16-again in Frankfurt. The match ended 1-1 after regular and extra time, but Dortmund proved more precise in the penalty shootout (4-2), advancing to the next round of the competition.
H2H Stats Matches and Previous Teams Results
Eintracht Frankfurt Team Overview
🔴 The year 2025 ended poorly for Eintracht, as the team managed just one win in their last six matches across all competitions. The Eagles have been inconsistent since the start of the season, although they have only lost two of their last ten Bundesliga fixtures. Before the winter break, Frankfurt drew with Hamburg (1-1), with Hugo Larsson equalizing in the 26th minute, after which the scoreboard remained unchanged.
⚪ Eintracht sit in seventh place, four points off the top four and seven behind Borussia Dortmund after 15 rounds. A cause for concern is their scoring issues: Dino Toppmöller's side has netted just four goals in their last six matches, failing to score more than once in any of them. This is largely due to the absence of their main striker Jonathan Burkardt (8 goals), who was signed in the summer and has missed the last five games with a calf injury. His participation in the upcoming match is also doubtful. However, a victory over Borussia could lift the Eagles to fifth place if Stuttgart drop points against Bayer Leverkusen, and Hoffenheim lose to Werder Bremen.
Match Results: Eintracht Frankfurt
Borussia Dortmund Team Overview
🟡 Borussia return from the winter break sitting second in the Bundesliga after securing a 2-0 victory over Mönchengladbach in their final match of 2025. Julian Brandt and Maximilian Bayer were the goal scorers on that occasion. Currently, the "Black and Yellows" are unbeaten in their last eight league matches, with their only defeat this season coming against Bayern Munich (1-2).
⚫ Considering the end of last season, Dortmund have lost just once in their last 23 Bundesliga outings. Bayern are the only team with a longer unbeaten streak than Niko Kovac's side. In their last six matches across all competitions, Borussia have not scored more than two goals in a game, and they have conceded in each of their previous four away fixtures, three of which were in the Bundesliga. Currently, the "Black and Yellows" trail Bayern by nine points while leading Bayer and Leipzig by three points. Goal difference is also crucial, with all three contenders for the second spot closely matched, making a win at Deutsche Bank Park essential for Borussia in their upcoming clash.
Match Results: Borussia Dortmund
Latest news
Eintracht Frankfurt
📝 Eintracht have been active in the early stages of the winter transfer window. Younes Ebnoutalib, who led the scoring charts in the 2. Bundesliga during the first half of the season with 12 goals in 17 matches for Elversberg, has joined the Eagles' ranks. The team also welcomed Ayoub Amaimuni-Echguya, Love Arrhov, Keita Kosugi, and Keito Kumashiro. Meanwhile, Elie Wai has gone on loan to French side Nice.
❌ In the upcoming match, Dino Toppmöller will be without Jonathan Burkardt, Michy Batshuayi, and Elias Baum due to health issues. Ellyes Skhiri was knocked out of the Africa Cup of Nations with the Tunisian national team over the weekend and could theoretically be included in the squad, but he is likely to be given time to recover. Jean-Matteo Baoya started the week with an illness, leaving his participation in doubt. Fares Chaibi and the Algerian national team advanced to the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations on Tuesday, meaning the midfielder will continue to be absent from Frankfurt's lineup.
Borussia Dortmund
📝 Midfielder Pascal Gross has permanently returned to his former club Brighton, while Cole Campbell has gone on loan to Hoffenheim.
❌ Aaron Anselmino will miss the match due to a muscle injury, and Jobe Bellingham remains suspended following his red card against Freiburg in the 14th round. Ramy Bensebaini is still with the Algeria national team for the Africa Cup of Nations, but otherwise, Niko Kovac has nearly a full squad at his disposal.
🟨 Referee and Yellow Cards
Daniel Schlager is set to officiate Friday's clash. In his last 10 matches, the German referee has averaged 4.7 yellow cards per game. Both teams tend to play fairly clean, with fewer than two bookings per match on average. Eintracht Frankfurt average 1.5 yellow cards, while Borussia Dortmund average 1.6. Therefore, a total under 3.5 yellow cards bet seems reasonable, as it has been successful in the last four head-to-head encounters.
⚽ Goal Prediction
We've already noted Eintracht's struggles with finishing, but it's worth highlighting Borussia's solid defense this season-only 12 goals conceded in 15 rounds, second only to Bayern Munich's 11. Considering Frankfurt's squad issues, particularly the absence of their top scorer Burkardt, an Eintracht individual total under 1.5 goals appears to be the optimal choice.
🚩 Corner Prediction
In terms of average corners per game, the "Eagles" slightly trail the "Bees" with 4.9 compared to 5.2. Thus, it's worth considering an Eintracht individual total under 5.5 corners, which has been successful in nine of the last ten head-to-head meetings, as well as in eight of Frankfurt's last nine games.
Editorial Prediction
It will be fascinating to see the condition both teams return in after the winter break. Both Dino Toppmöller and Niko Kovač will be missing some key players, but Borussia's squad issues seem less severe, and their defense looks more solid. Meanwhile, Eintracht face significant challenges in attack, including the absence of their top scorer.
Therefore, we anticipate that Dortmund will take all three points from Frankfurt. The match is likely to unfold in a pragmatic manner typical of Kovač's side, contrasting with Eintracht's more chaotic style of play. Our main bet is on under 3.5 goals-a figure that has held in six consecutive home matches for Eintracht and in 13 of Dortmund's last 14 Bundesliga games. The predicted scoreline is 2-1 in favor of Borussia.
Betting Tips: Eintracht Frankfurt - Borussia Dortmund
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Comparison of Teams Stats
Other predictions
