Bayern Munich travels to Frankfurt to face the Europa League winners in a difficult start to their title defense in the 2022/23 Bundesliga campaign. This is also the opening match of the new season.
The Bavarians won their record 31st Bundesliga title and ten in a row to continue their undisputed dominance in Germany. Frankfurt, on their part, won the Europa League to taste Champions League football even after finishing out of the European football spot in 11th in the league.
FRK vs BAY Match Details
Date: Friday, 5th August 2022/ Saturday, 6th August 2022
Time: 20:30 (CEST)/ 00:00 (IST)
Venue: Waldstadion, Frankfurt
FRK vs BAY Match Previews
It was scenes of pure joy as Eintracht Frankfurt defied all odds by winning the Europa League last term, their first European title since 1980. The Stuff of fairy tale for Die Adler whose season didn’t look promising at the start. Although they drifted in the league, Frankfurt showed how good they are in beating the likes of West Ham and FC Barcelona on the road to clinch the trophy in the final over an equally wonderful Rangers team. Their strategy to press high or hold a block and hit on counters kept oppositions scratching their heads. Manager Oliver Glasner showed his tactical nous in his debut season with the club after impressing earlier with Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga. He will now eye for a better season league-wise and has to build a competitive mentality like before to stay longer in the Champions League. The target is to better their 11th-place finish last season to be in the mix for European football. The start of the 2022/23 season has been pleasant with an expected win over second-tier club Magdeburg in the DFB Pokal last weekend. Frankfurt registered a comfortable 4-0 away win through a Daichi Kamada brace and one goal each from Jesper Lindstrom and new striker Lucas Alario. Die Adler also purchased the household name Mario Gotze from PSV Eindhoven with the 30-year-old impressing in his first game back in Germany. He will be poised to face his old side in the opening game of the new season. The team is also desperate to keep their main man Filip Kostic after attracting interest from overseas, mainly Juventus and West Ham, to create one of if not the best-attacking force in the Bundesliga. Facing the champions in a season opener is a challenge Frankfurt are happy to take knowing they have caused problems to this Bayern Munich team in both the fixtures last season.
The German giants will have a new look to their attack with their phenomenon Robert Lewandowski joining Barcelona after eight trophy-laden years filled with untouchable goal records at the club. Any early sign of missing the Polish goal machine has been dashed with Bayern triumphing in a massive score line 5-3 against RB Leipzig in the DFB Super Cup. High-profile signing from Liverpool Sadio Mane hit his first competitive goal for the club along with strikes from Jamal Musiala, Serge Gnabry and Benjamin Pavard. The recurring defensive issue will give Nagelsmann an eyebrow raiser as Leipzig sparked a comeback from four goals behind and the win was not sealed until substitute Leroy Sane scored in the last kick of the game. Keeping aside the vulnerabilities, this was a perfect way to gain some momentum ahead of the new campaign as Bayern hardly had any preseason to prepare for it. The forward line looked impressive with a lot of movements occurring without a definite number nine in the system. It gave Nagelsmann to try out something new in his second season at the club and lift the dependency on Lewandowski. Bayern are favorites again to lift the Bundesliga title but cannot allow any complacency to set in even though their decade-old dominance has set their tone. With a new look attack and defensive acquisition made in the form of Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui Bayern are seeking the right balance to do better in Europe after a surprise exit in the quarterfinals of the Champions League last season. Their opposition in the opening game will be tough to break down, also having beaten them last year, but the champions can rely upon their firing attack to get past all obstacles.
Recent Form
SGE: WWWDW
BAY: WLW
FRK vs BAY Team News
Frankfurt will be without defender Jerome Onguene after a hip injury the Cameroonian picked up at the end of the last month and he will miss the Super Cup clash against Real Madrid and Hertha in the league next weekend. New arrival Hrvoje Smolocic from Rijeka is suspended owing to the maximum number of yellow cards he collected at the end of last season in the Croatian league which has transferred to Germany along with him. Right back Aurelio Buta has recovered from his knee injury but Glasner is unlikely to change from his reliable back-three of Almamy Toure, Tuta and Evan N’Dicka.
Manager Julian Nagelsmann offered a positive injury update on Manuel Neuer as Bayern Munich’s ever-reliant number one could be fit for the opening game of the season if everything goes fine in the last training session after travelling with the squad. Neuer picked up an injury in the preseason. While he is a doubt, Leon Goretzka won’t be taking part at all in the opening game to recover from his knee surgery. Marcel Sabitzer could start in his place in midfield, partnering with Joshua Kimmich, after impressing hugely in the pre-season games. 17-year-old striker Mathys Tel could also make his debut after UEFA granted permission for him to be registered for the season. Winger Kingsley Coman is suspended for two more league matches after his red card against Wolfsburg towards the end of last season. Eric Chupo-Moting is out through an adductor issue.
FRK vs BAY Predicted Lineups
SGE: Kevin Trapp; Almamy Toure, Tuta, N'Dicka; Ansgar Knauff, Kristijian Jakic, Djibril Sow, Filip Kostic; Daichi Kamada, Mario Gotze; Santos Borre
BAY: Manuel Neuer; Benjamin Pavard, De Ligt, Lucas Hernandez, Alphonso Davies; Marcel Sabitzer, Joshua Kimmich; Serge Gnabry, Thomas Muller, Jamal Musiala; Sadio Mane
FRK vs BAY Dream11 Team Prediction
GK: Trapp (8.5)
DEF: Pavard (8.5), De Ligt (8.5), N’Dkicka (8.5), Davies (9)
MID: Gnabry (9.5), Sabitzer (8.5), Kamada (9), Kostic (9)
FW: Muller (9.5), Mane (9.5)
Captain - Sadio Mane
Vice-captain: Thomas Muller
