MATCH PREVIEW Eintracht Frankfurt vs Atalanta preview, prediction, team news, and head-to-head

Eintracht Frankfurt will open its doors to Atalanta at Deutsche Bank Park on Wednesday evening for an important UEFA Champions League Matchday 5 game.

Both teams are vying for a spot in the top 24 to advance to the playoff round. If Frankfurt win, they will move level with Atalanta on points and set up a dramatic finish in the final round. However, if Atalanta wins, they will essentially secure their place in the next stage.

Eintracht Frankfurt vs Atalanta preview

Frankfurt comes into this fixture after a thrilling 4-3 win over Köln in the Bundesliga. That result extended their unbeaten league run to four matches and showed how dangerous their attack can be. They have scored two or more goals in nine different games this season.  

In Europe, though, their form has been up and down. They started with a big 5-1 win, but then suffered heavy 5-1 losses to both Liverpool and Atlético Madrid. Their 0-0 draw away at Napoli on Matchday 4 helped calm things down. Coach Dino Toppmoller hopes their strong home form in attack can earn them a crucial three points.  

Atalanta, coached by Raffaele Palladino, comes into this game after an important 1-0 win over Marseille in their last European match. That victory put them in a solid position with seven points.

But in Serie A, they have been struggling; they have not won any of their last eight league games and sit in the bottom half of the table.  Still, they have been strong defensively in Europe, keeping eight clean sheets in their last 13 group stage matches.

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Eintracht Frankfurt vs Atalanta head-to-head

This will be the first time Eintracht Frankfurt and Atalanta face each other in an official UEFA competition match. They have played each other before, but only in friendly matches, and the German team won on both occasions.

The first was in December 2022 when Frankfurt beat Atalanta by three goals to two. The second was back in August 2016, and Frankfurt again won by the same scoreline, three goals to two.

Eintracht Frankfurt vs Atalanta team news

Eintracht Frankfurt will be without key attacking midfielder Can Uzun, who is out with a hamstring injury. Midfielders Hugo Larsson and Oscar Hojlund are also unavailable.  Coach Dino Toppmoller is likely to bring in experienced playmaker Mario Götze to play in the number 10 position.

Up front, top scorer Jonathan Burkardt is expected to lead the line after scoring twice in their last game.  

Atalanta has fewer injury concerns for their new manager. Striker Gianluca Scamacca, who scored as a substitute over the weekend, could start as the main forward.  He will be assisted by Super Eagles forward, Ademola Lookman.

Defender Giorgio Scalvini is fit, and Palladino might go with a strong and steady defence to handle Frankfurt’s attacking threat at home.

Eintracht Frankfurt vs Atalanta probable lineups

Eintracht Frankfurt (4-2-3-1): Zetterer; Collins, Koch, Theate, Brown; Dahoud, Chaibi; Doan, Gotze, Knauff; Burkardt

Atalanta (3-4-2-1): Carnesecchi; Djimsiti, Hien, Kossounou; Bellanova, De Roon, Ederson, Zappacosta; De Ketelaere, Lookman; Scamacca

Eintracht Frankfurt vs Atalanta prediction and betting tips

Atalanta might have one of the best defenses in Europe and sit higher in the table, but do not sleep on Frankfurt just yet. The German side is flying high at home and scoring goals for fun in the league.

With Atalanta adjusting to new management, you can bet on Livescorebet that Frankfurt could use that to their advantage. The hosts know what is at stake, and they will be fired up to grab all three points and stay in the playoff race.

Predictions: Eintracht Frankfurt 1-1 Atalanta

Betting tips:

• Both teams to score - Yes

• Over 3.5 cards

• Over 8.5 corners