Preview: Wolfsburg vs. Eintracht Frankfurt - prediction, team news, lineups

The visitors were beaten 2-1 by RB Leipzig last weekend in a major blow to their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League.

Match preview

Wolfsburg ended a winless run of five matches in all competitions by securing an impressive 2-0 win away to FC Koln last time out, with Yannick Gerhardt and Maximilian Arnold scoring either side of half-time.

Niko Kovac's side were happy to soak up possession and territory for the hosts for long periods of the match, with Koln having 58% possession, 13 shots and 10 corners compared to Wolfsburg's 42%, six and two respectively in those particular statistical measures.

However, it is putting the ball in the back of the net that is the most important part of football, and the Wolves have been consistently good in that regard since becoming fully integrated within Kovac's system.

Indeed, they have scored two or more goals in 11 of their last 15 league games, with their win at Koln suggesting their consecutive blanks against Schalke 04 and RB Leipzig in recent weeks were little more than a blip.

The former Frankfurt boss will be motivated to get one over on his former side at the Volkswagen Arena on Sunday, especially as it would keep them firmly in the race for securing a Europa League qualification spot.

Frankfurt, meanwhile, continued their up and down form from recent weeks with a narrow 2-1 defeat away to Champions League qualification rivals Leipzig at the Red Bull Arena last time out.

Timo Werner and Emil Forsberg had provided Die Roten Bullen with a 2-0 lead to protect after the break, with Djibril Sow pulling one back after the hour mark. However, Die Adler could not find a crucial equaliser, as they slipped four points behind their opponents in fourth place.

Having fallen to a 2-0 defeat at home to Napoli in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, there is a danger that Frankfurt's season could be derailed should their inconsistent form persist throughout the coming weeks.

Indeed, their recent league form now reads win, loss, win, loss, having failed to win any of their last five games on the road. With Oliver Glasner also facing his former club in the form of Wolfsburg on Sunday, he will be doubly determined to put an end to that particular run and keep the Wolves at arms length below them in the table.

Wolfsburg Bundesliga form:

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Wolfsburg form (all competitions):

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Eintracht Frankfurt Bundesliga form:

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Eintracht Frankfurt form (all competitions):

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Team News

Wolfsburg are unlikely to risk Lukas Nmecha, with the forward missing out on last weekend's trip to Cologne through illness. The Germany international is yet to start a match since recovering from a serious knee injury in any case.

Kovac may look to restore Sebastian Bornauw and Jonas Wind to his starting XI, though, with the former suspended last time out and the latter only used from the bench despite being in excellent form in recent times.

Frankfurt, meanwhile, will travel without the suspended Sow after the midfielder received his fifth caution of the season against Leipzig. Eric Dina Ebimbe remains sidelined with a serious ankle issue.

Glasner is likely to make at least a few changes from the side which was beaten last weekend, with Evan Ndicka, Mario Gotze and Aurelio Buta all likely to be restored to the 48-year-old's visiting side.

Wolfsburg possible starting lineup:

Casteels; Fischer, Bornauw, Van De Ven, Otavio; Svanberg, Arnold, Gerhardt; Baku, Wind, Wimmer

Eintracht Frankfurt possible starting lineup:

Trapp; Tuta, Hasebe, Ndicka; Buta, Kamada, Rode, Max; Lindstrom, Gotze; Kolo Muani

We say: Wolfsburg 1-1 Eintracht Frankfurt

Although Frankfurt have been a more consistent outfit throughout the season than Wolfsburg, their away form has been far from strong and they may struggle to find a win on Sunday.

Both managers will be desperate to record a victory against their former teams, which provides an interesting dynamic to this clash, but we can envisage a share of the spoils between two relatively evenly-matched teams.

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