With the 2024-25 Bundesliga season drawing to a close, Eintracht Frankfurt all but clinched a spot in next season’s Champions League after a dominant 4-0 victory against RB Leipzig. Barring a shocking collapse over the final three matchdays, the victory made it almost certain that Frankfurt will finish the season in the top four for the first time in over three decades.
Frankfurt scored the opening goal in the 21st minute via Ansgar Knauff who was set up by Hugo Ekitike. The rest of the first half was a relatively even affair; no further goals were scored. What ended up tipping the balance of the match was actually an early second-half red card issued to Leipzig defender El Chadaille Bitshiabu after a last-man foul on Knauff.
It was after Leipzig were left a player short that Frankfurt took over. Die Adler would score three goals while having the numerical advantage; Knauff scored his and his team’s second just three minutes after Bitshiabu’s red card before Frankfurt added two more in a four-minute span with Ekitike and Robin Koch getting on the scoresheet.
What’s been really notable about Frankfurt’s season to date is the fact that despite losing Omar Marmoush - who had been far and away their best player - in the mid-season transfer window, they haven’t fallen off at all. When Manchester City signed the Egyptian striker for €75 million in January, there were concerns that Marmoush’s departure would end up derailing Frankfurt’s campaign and understandably so; Marmoush’s contributions were the biggest reasons why Frankfurt were in third place in the league at the time of his departure, putting them on track for their best league finish since the 1992-93 season when they also finished third.
Following a short slump during the adjustment period following Marmoush’s departure in which Frankfurt won just one of seven matches, Frankfurt have bounced back strongly with four wins in six and next season will almost certainly feature on the biggest stage of European club football for the first time in four years.
Perhaps more than anything else, the main reason why Frankfurt have been able to hold their position even after Marmoush left for the Etihad Stadium is the emergence of Hugo Ekitike. Ever since City’s signing of Marmoush, Ekitike has taken his play to a new level and at just 22 has already established himself as the new centerpiece of what has become a formidable and often underrated team. Now out of Marmoush’s shadow, Ekitike has been putting the Bundesliga on notice with some seriously impressive performances; the Frenchman once again delivered against Leipzig. It’s astonishing to think that Ekitike has to date never been capped by his country; however, at the rate he’s going, his debut for Les Bleus will surely be a matter of “when”, not “if” - and likely very soon as well.
It’s worth mentioning that three of Frankfurt’s four goals came by way of a set piece. Set-piece play has been one of Frankfurt’s primary strengths this season - and this was once again made obvious in this match as Leipzig simply had no answer for their opponents when playing from the dead ball. It’s been an advantage they’ve often relied on this season to much effect.
One other aspect of this Frankfurt team which has sometimes been overlooked is its balance and depth. In addition to Ekitike, Frankfurt’s usual starting 11 contains players such as Rasmus Kristensen, Koch, Tuta, Kevin Trapp, and Arthur Theate - all of whom are undoubtedly at the level needed for a team like Frankfurt to make a serious push for the top four. Most of Frankfurt’s core players are also relatively young; as such, for as long as they can hang on to them before they get picked up by a bigger club, Frankfurt will likely be challenging for Champions League berths.
Based on everything they’ve shown this season, there’s no reason why Eintracht Frankfurt wouldn’t be able to pick up where they left off at the beginning of next season and match their accomplishments from this one. In fact, a deep run in next season’s Champions League isn’t out of the question by any means. There’s absolutely no doubt that the future at Deutsche Bank Park is very bright indeed.
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