RBL looking to book their place in Europe away to Frankfurt | OneFootball

RB Leipzig travel to Frankfurt full of confidence ahead of Saturday evening’s 18:30 CEST kick-off.

The Red Bulls are hoping to keep the momentum going against an in-form Frankfurt side and make sure European football returns to Leipzig next season.

Here are the key facts ahead of the game.

1. A chance to make history

No matter whether it was called the Commerzbank-Arena or Deutsche Bank Park, Leipzig are still waiting for a first away win in Frankfurt. Nine visits have brought five draws, so there is still a point to prove there.

The timing could hardly be better. The Red Bulls have hit form again at exactly the right stage of the season, winning five of their last six Bundesliga matches and each of the last three.

That run also means a point away to seventh-placed Eintracht would be enough to guarantee at least sixth place and a return to Europe. 

However, our sights are set higher than that – holding on to fourth and booking a place in the Champions League is the team's biggest target.

2. Strong away from home

Leipzig’s away form has clicked into place at exactly the right moment too. Our boys have won four of their last six away matches, as many victories as across the previous 18 league games on the road combined, spanning two seasons. We have recently won 2-1 in Cologne, Hamburg and Bremen, while our tally of 24 points puts us fifth in the away-form table.

Frankfurt have picked up the same number of points at home, which puts them eighth in the home table. Their form at home has also improved though, remaining unbeaten in each of their last four home games. After wins over Gladbach (3-0), Freiburg (2-0) and Heidenheim (1-0), they drew 2-2 with Köln last time out.

3. Diomande and Baumgartner keep delivering

One perfectly weighted pass from Christoph Baumgartner, one emphatic finish from Yan Diomande – our two most productive attacking players were decisive again in the 1-0 home win over Gladbach last weekend. With 11 league goals to his name, Dio remains one of Europe’s standout teenagers. Across Europe’s top leagues, only Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, with 15, has scored more often.

Baumi has been just as influential. The Austrian picked up his seventh assist of the season against Gladbach, taking his Bundesliga tally to 19 goal involvements. Only Harry Kane, Luis Díaz, Michael Olise and Deniz Undav have more in the league.

4. Getting stuck in

Our team have not only impressed on the ball, but without it too. One stat underlines that perfectly: with 3,086 duels won, RBL are comfortably the strongest side in the league in that category. Frankfurt are not far behind either, sitting fifth with 2,816.

What makes that even more impressive is Leipzig’s discipline. The Red Bulls also top the fair-play table with just 44 yellow cards and, unlike Frankfurt, remain the only team in the league yet to have a player sent off this season.

5. Frankfurt on the up under Riera

Albert Riera has been in charge in Frankfurt since the start of February and the mood around Eintracht has lifted since the charismatic Spaniard took over from former RBL assistant Dino Toppmöller.

Riera has collected 15 points from his first nine Bundesliga matches, making it Frankfurt’s best start under a new coach since under Armin Veh in 2012/13, when Eintracht picked up 19. Above all, the former Liverpool and Manchester City player has made them a lot harder to break down.

Frankfurt’s most recent outing ended in a 2-1 win away to VfL Wolfsburg, with Arnaud Kalimuendo scoring the winner. The Frenchman joined on loan from Nottingham Forest earlier this year and has made an immediate impact, netting six Bundesliga goals so far.

Oscar Højlund opened the scoring at Wolfsburg with his first goal of the season. That means 18 different Frankfurt players have now scored in the Bundesliga this campaign – no team has had more.

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