First game of the year on the Main – “We will do everything we can for Gregor” | OneFootball

The scenario “It would be extremely important for us to get off to a good start in January, carry the momentum from the last few games forward and maintain second place in the table,” said Sebastian Kehl ahead of the first game of the year. The Black & Yellows have lost just one Bundesliga game this season. Before the turn of the year, they went eight games without defeat in the league, including five wins. BVB went into the winter break in second place in the table and, with 32 points after 15 games, are having their best season in seven years. Since 2 January, Borussia have been preparing for the second half of the season at their training camp in Marbella, Spain. “We worked well and were very focused. We concentrated on our attacking play. I hope we can see that in the difficult game against Eintracht,” said BVB coach Niko Kovac.

On Thursday, the team travelled directly from Spain to Frankfurt, where BVB last played at the end of October. In the second round of the DFB-Pokal, the Black & Yellows emerged 5-3 winners on penalties. Only 73 days lie between the two away games on the Main. “We know how difficult it will be at Eintracht. We had a battle in the cup. The last Bundesliga matches there were also very intense. Nevertheless, things always looked quite good. But it will certainly not be easy to defeat Frankfurt,” Kehl continued.

Personnel mattersWaldemar Anton is ready to play again. The centre-back had to sit out twice at the end of the year and initially trained individually in Marbella. “I worked hard in my free time and had my rehab plan, which was also quite demanding,” explained the defender, who has returned to team training at the training camp and is now set to return to the squad. Of the three young players who came to training camp, Mussa Kaba is also in Frankfurt and will be part of a Bundesliga squad for the first time.

Aaron Anselmino, who has been training individually in Spain and has not yet rejoined the team, is not yet ready to play. According to Kovac, Gregor Kobel had a slight cold and back problems: “We will do everything we can to ensure that he can play the full 90 minutes in goal tomorrow. If that is not the case, we have enough quality to replace Gregor adequately.” Jobe Bellingham is missing for the last time due to his red card suspension. Ramy Bensebaini has reached the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations with Algeria and is not available for BVB.

The oppositionEintracht Frankfurt have won only one of their last six competitive matches (at home against Augsburg). In the Bundesliga, the team have conceded 30 goals after 15 matchdays and are seventh in the table with 25 points. “We know that Eintracht have conceded a lot of goals, but they have also scored a lot. That means we are facing a very strong opponent in attack,” said the BVB coach about the opposition. “We already saw in the cup that it won’t be an easy game. It will certainly be a close 90 minutes, but hopefully with a good outcome for us.”

First game after the winter breakExactly three weeks lie between BVB's last match of 2025 and their first after the winter break. Borussia's first Bundesliga match of the calendar year last January ended in a 3-2 defeat at home to Leverkusen on 10 January. It was the first time in 21 years that the Black & Yellows had lost at the start of the year. Among games won at the start of the year include an away match at Eintracht Frankfurt: on 8 January 2022, BVB came back from 2-0 down to win 3-2 on the Main. In the 71st minute, substitute Thorgan Hazard reduced the deficit to 2-1, Jude Bellingham equalised three minutes before the end, and in the 89th minute, current Frankfurt player Mahmoud Dahoud scored the winning goal.Christina Reinke