Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Borussia Dortmund preview: A feisty curtain-raiser to kickstart 2026 | OneFootball

Eintracht Frankfurt

After a three-week layoff, the Bundesliga returns for 2026 and the remainder of tge current season. Friday's opening night treats us to a sumptuous opening game between Eintracht Frankfurt and Borussia Dortmund. 

"The final whistle marked the official start of our holidays," said Dino Toppmöller after their last game of 2025 in Hamburg. Since then, his players returned to training on January 2 ahead of an "absolutely packed" schedule.

Frankfurt - who passed up on holding a training camp abroad - come into this fixture in seventh place. Their aim will undoubtedly be to claw back the four points separating them from the Champions League spots. 

Almost a week out from the exact day last year, they defeated Dortmund 2-0 at home. Repeating that result would go some way towards easing the hurt from their DFB-Pokal elimination at the hands of BVB last October. 

Team news:

Jonathan Burkardt (calf), Michy Batshuayi (foot) and Elias Baum (ligament injury) are unlikely to feature with long-term injuries. Meanwhile, Farès Chaïbi is currently on duty with Algeria at the African Cup of Nations.

Toppmöller is expected to start Kaua in goals behind Collins, Koch and Theate. Mo Dahoud and Hugo Larsson should lineup with Brown and Kristensen on the flanks. In attack, Ritsu Dōan and Can Uzun may supply Ansgar Knauff.

Predicted lineup: Kaua – Collins, Koch, Theate – Kristensen, Larsson, Dahoud, Brown – Dōan, Uzun – Knauff 

Borussia Dortmund

As for Borussia Dortmund, the entered the winter break on the back of a somewhat unconvincing 2-0 win over Gladbach. Niko Kovač will hope that the short rest over Christmas will give life to a new found hunger.

Regarding the league table, Dortmund will be content with second place. Averaging around 2.13 points a game built on a strong defence has been impressive, but Kovač is now under pressure to enhance their attacking output. 

The Westphalians also resumed training on the second day of the new year. However, they went a step further as Kovač sought refuge for a week in the warmth of Marbella - they flew straight to Frankfurt earlier today.

Games are often tight when these two meet at the Deutsche Bank Park in recent seasons. In fact, five of the last eight meetings in the Hessen state have ended in draws, with BVB winning two to Frankfurt's one last season. 

Team news:

Gregor Kobel (ill) is in a race to be fit for Friday, but Aaron Anselmino (hamstring) will miss out. Jobe Bellingham is still suspended, while Ramy Bensebaini is also busy on African Cup of Nations duty with Algeria. 

Kobel is expected to recover in time with Can, Anton and Schlotterbeck in the backline. Yan Couto and Daniel Svensson should partner Sabitzer and Nmecha in midfield. Brandt and Beier ought to slot in behind Serhou Guirassy.

Predicted lineup: Kobel – Can, Anton, Schlotterbeck – Couto, Sabitzer, Nmecha, Svensson – Beier, Brandt – Guirassy