Preview: Final away game | OneFootball

Eintracht travel to Borussia Dortmund on Friday evening as the race for the Bundesliga’s European places reaches its climax.

The backdrop

Eintracht were beaten 2-1 at home by Hamburger SV on Matchday 32, leaving the Eagles in eighth place in the table. “It’s frustrating,” Ansgar Knauff said afterwards. “The fans have every right to boo at the end. What we’re delivering on the pitch just isn’t enough. It’s just as frustrating for us as players. The desire is there, but we can’t seem to get it right. We now have two games left, and we have to give our all.”

The Eagles can at least temporarily leapfrog SC Freiburg into seventh place when they travel to Borussia Dortmund on Friday 8 May (kick-off 20:30 CEST). The Black Forest side currently hold a one-point lead over Frankfurt but aren’t in action until Sunday, when they face Hamburg away from home.

Despite their 1-0 defeat at Borussia Mönchengladbach last time out, Dortmund have loftier targets than Eintracht as the 2025/26 campaign draws to a close. With a five-point cushion over third place, BVB have their sights firmly set on securing a runners-up finish behind Bayern Munich – but Elles Skhiri says the Eagles won’t be overawed by their opponents. “Unfortunately, we saw first-hand against Hamburg that the Bundesliga table doesn’t determine the outcome of a match,” the midfielder said during the PwC Players Talk. “It can work the other way around too, though.”

Looking back

Frankfurt and Dortmund have already faced each other twice this season, with both tight encounters taking place at Deutsche Bank Park. After losing on penalties in the second round of the DFB Cup, Eintracht took a 3-2 stoppage-time lead in the teams’ first league meeting of the season, only for BVB to salvage a last-gasp 3-3 draw. 

The sides now face each other for the 106th time in all competitions. Eintracht have lost eight of their nine Bundesliga encounters with Borussia since April 2021, when they last tasted victory at Signal Iduna Park. The Eagles’ only win in that time came in January 2025, when goals from Hugo Ekitiké and Oscar Højlund secured a 2-0 victory.

Ruthlessness will be key

Eintracht and Borussia have two of the best chance conversion rates in the Bundesliga this season. Only Bayern have taken more of their opportunities than Frankfurt and Dortmund in 2025/26, while Albert Riera’s side also boast the second-best shooting accuracy in the division behind the champions. 

With so much at stake, it will be even more important for the Eagles to make the most of the opportunities that come their way on Friday – and against VfB Stuttgart in their final league game. “We’re up against two very good opponents,” said Skhiri. “Anything could happen. We’ll work hard to be ready for Dortmund and get the three points.”