http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Eintracht-Frankfurt-c38994 v Bayer Leverkusen: Preview
Michael Skibbe, coach of Frankfurt, is very optimistic about his side’s chances of breaking their goal drought of 2011.
Not only have Frankfurt failed to win a single game this year, they haven’t managed to score a single goal. But Skibbe is very upbeat about their chances and believes that his side can score when his former club, Bayer Leverkusen, travel to Commerzbank Arena
tonight.
Skibbe coached Leverkusen for three years and is relishing the clash. He feels that it is the right moment for his team to score their first goal of the New Year.
Skibbe also praised the current Leverkusen team and seemed to be very impressed by their performances in recent years. "They are an excellent team who should probably have achieved more than their current second place'', he said.
But he also added that although the Leverkusen team has some really good players, they also have weaknesses that were evident in recent games and believes that his side will be able to exploit those weaknesses in a bid to score their first goal and win of
the year in a single game.
Currently, Frankfurt are on 10th place in the Bundesliga table with 27 points and have a miserable goal difference of -2, which needs to change drastically. Club top scorer http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Theofanis-Gekas-c34884 has scored 14 goals this season but just like his team,
he hasn’t scored so far this year and his goal scoring prowess will be vital if Frankfurt is to register a win.
His last goal came against the surprising win against League leaders, Borussia Dortmund, last December but since then, the Greek international has struggled for form.
Meanwhile, Leverkusen coach, Jupp Heynckes, believes that Frankfurt’s team has the potential to turn around their fortunes and is wary of the threat the side poses. "They have had plenty of injury problems and therefore not managed to have their best formation
on the field'', he said while talking to the media.
Leverkusen are currently second in the Bundesliga standings with 39 points and last week had a great chance to capitalize on Dortmund’s draw against Schalke but couldn’t do so as they were beaten by Nuernberg.
Jupp will be hoping to make amends for that loss by registering a win against luckless Frankfurt. Title contention maybe out of question now but Leverkusen is still within touching distance of grabbing a second spot in the Bundesliga by the end of their
campaign that would give them automatic qualification for the next season’s edition of UEFA Champions League.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Arturo-Vidal-c6760 are going to miss this important clash due to injury.
Head to head
Frankfurt have been abysmal to say the least in their last five games. Their only win in the last 5 games was in December when they defeated Borussia Dortmund at home. But since then, they are yet to register a win or a goal.
Bayer Leverkusen on the other hand, have been ‘hot and cold’ recently. Their inconsistency is one of the main reasons why they have been chasing Dortmund in the recent months.
However, they have been pretty decent away from home and in the last 5 away games their loss to Nuernberg was the only defeat away from home.
Prediction
Leverkusen have sometimes impressed and sometimes depressed this season but they are definitely the 2nd best team in http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Germany-c2904 right now.
Last year, Leverkusen were run away League leaders in the Bundesliga but a poor second half of their campaign saw them finish 5th by the end of the season.
That disappointment may not happen again this season but Leverkusen should be wary that Mainz, Bayern Munich and Hannover are hot on their trail so another slip up can prove calamitous once again for the side that has been known to slip up in the business
end of their campaign.
A win seems to be a likely possibility but Leverkusen will have to do this without the absence of Arturo Vidal, who is their top scorer and is out injured.
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