RB Leipzig vs Eintracht Frankfurt: DFB Pokal Final Preview, Odds, Predictions (June 3)

Initial Thoughts

With the Bundesliga all wrapped up, the German top flight draws to a close as RB Leipzig head into their third consecutive DFB Pokal final against an ever-improving Eintracht Frankfurt.

Leipzig come in as heavy favorites, but Frankfurt are also no strangers to finals, and we think an upset could well be in the cards on Saturday.

The Narrative

It’s been quite the twelve months for Oliver Glasner and Eintracht Frankfurt. 

Despite finishing 11th in the Bundesliga at the end of the 2021/22 campaign, Frankfurt qualified for the Champions League after beating Rangers to the Europa League trophy last May.

This season Frankfurt were unable to repeat their European success, however many would say they outperformed by finishing second behind Spurs in Group D before losing 5-0 on aggregate against Liverpool in the first knockout round.

But on the domestic front Glasner’s side have gone from strength to strength. The club finished in 7th place - level on points with high-flying Bayer Leverkusen - and they battled all the way to the DFB-Pokal final.

Frankfurt’s opponents RB Leipzig are no certainly strangers to the German Cup final. Saturday’s matchup at the Olympiastadion in Berlin will be the Red Bulls third DFB-Pokal showpiece on the bounce. 

After missing out to Borussia Dortmund in the 2020/21 final, Leipzig lifted their first ever German Cup trophy when they overcame SC Freiburg on penalties last season.

Saturday’s game will be Eintracht Frankfurt’s first appearance in the final for over five years. But the last time they made it this far they also lifted the cup - overcoming the mighty Bayern Munich at the end of the 2017/18 season.

Nuts and Bolts

RB Leipzig's journey to the final has been emphatic to say the least. 

After seeing off lower-tier minnows FC Teutonia Ottensen 8-0 in the opening round the Red Bulls overcame four top flight opponents by an aggregate scoreline of 14-2.

In particular, a 5-1 win away to last year’s finalists SC Freiburg in the semis will give Marco Rose’s team enormous confidence heading into Saturday’s final.

Frankfurt’s journey was just as impressive with Oliver Glasner securing four consecutive clean sheet victories before coming back from a goal down to beat VfB Stuttgart 3-2 away in their own semi-final early last month.

Both sides are enjoying strong league form of late, with Frankfurt unbeaten in their last three outings and Leipzig racking up seven wins in their last eight.

Marco Rose’s side ran out 2-1 winners when these teams last met in the league back in February. But prior to the World Cup break it was Frankfurt who came out on top in a 4-0 drubbing at Deutsche Bank Park early in the season.

Daichi Kamada was on the scoresheet for Frankfurt in that thumping win, and after a stellar season in the German top flight the attacking midfielder looks set to leave for AC Milan this summer.

Kamada has two goals and two assists in his last four matches, and a big performance in the Cup Final would be an appropriate way to sign off in front of the Frankfurt faithful on Saturday.

Homestand Picks

All odds courtesy of Northstar Bets

Daichi Kamada Over 0.5 shots on target (+120)

Cometh the man cometh the hour. Daichi Kamada has been grabbing games by the scruff of the neck in recent weeks and we’re backing the AC Milan-bound midfielder to play an influential role in this tie.

Eintracht Frankfurt to win the trophy (+200)

It could well go to 120 minutes and penalties, but Frankfurt’s experience of lifting the Europa League trophy last speaks for itself Oliver Glasner’s side will be no pushovers here. Frankfurt have beaten Leipzig once already this season, and the value in this matchup is a Frankfurt upset on the night.

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