Eintracht Frankfurt vs Darmstadt

Deutsche Bank Park forms the backdrop for Eintracht Frankfurt’s opening 2022/23 Bundesliga outing against newly-promoted Darmstadt.

Despite finishing the 2022/23 Bundesliga season on a three-game unbeaten run (W2, D1), Eintracht Frankfurt could only manage a disappointing 7th-place finish and Europa Conference League qualification. A gut-wrenching 2-0 defeat to RB Leipzig in the DFB-Pokal showpiece added insult to injury, sealing the faith of the 2021/22 Europa League winning boss Oliver Glasner. Dino Toppmöller took over the reins in the summer. He launched his managerial career at Frankfurt with an overwhelming 7-0 victory over lower-league Lokomotive Leipzig in the opening DFB-Pokal round. His next assignment will be to inspire ‘Die Adler’ to a more vivid season start after going winless in their last three curtain-raising league fixtures (D1, L2). Frankfurt excelled in home games in 2022/23, racking up an eye-catching 82% unbeaten league ratio at Deutsche Bank Park (W9, D5, L3).

In the meantime, visiting Darmstadt secured a runner-up finish in a breathtaking 2022/23 2. Bundesliga finale to earn top-flight promotion for the first time since 2015/16. However, they’ve failed to last two seasons in two of their last three top-flight campaigns, suggesting a season-long fight against the drop could be on the cards. Although a fast start could inspire their bid to stay away from the relegation zone, it’s worth noting TorstenLieberknecht’s side lost six of their final 12 second-tier matches last season. If it’s any consolation, the visitors have recorded partial success on their only two previous Bundesliga visits to Frankfurt in the 21st century (W1, L1), with both games (won/lost) seeing the winner keep a clean sheet in matches garnering under 2.5 total goals.