Kovac Relieved to Be Back at Home as Dortmund Host Frankfurt
Borussia Dortmund coach Niko Kovac has welcomed the return to home comforts after a gruelling run of three consecutive away matches. Following trips to Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League and Union Berlin in the Bundesliga, Dortmund completed a long journey to Azerbaijan to face Sabah in the Champions League. Now they host Eintracht Frankfurt at Signal Iduna Park on Saturday.
Kovac: 'Finally Playing at Home Again'
Kovac is delighted to be back in front of his own supporters but remains wary of the challenge posed by Eintracht Frankfurt. "We're finally playing at home again. It's good to play in front of our own fans. I hope they'll cheer us on to victory," he said.
"They'd [Eintracht] certainly like to have one or two more points, but their play has been inconsistent in recent games. A draw, a loss, a win – they've had it all," Kovac added. "It's a team that will finish in the top third of the table at the end of the season. I'm convinced of that."
Frankfurt's Inconsistency and Youthful Side
Eintracht Frankfurt sit 11th in the Bundesliga after a 6-0 defeat to RB Leipzig followed by a 1-0 win over Koln. They have fielded the youngest average starting XI in the Bundesliga this season, with an average age of 24 years and 176 days. Dortmund have fielded the fourth-youngest side (25 years and 72 days) and are the only team to have used seven different teenagers.
Players to Watch
Borussia Dortmund – Waldemar Anton
Waldemar Anton has made 54 clearances in the Bundesliga this season, while Eintracht's Robin Koch has made 55. Only two players in the league have recorded more clearances than the pair (Lukas Pinckert with 57 and Nikola Katic with 75).
Eintracht Frankfurt – Younes Ebnoutalib
Younes Ebnoutalib has scored half of Eintracht's league goals this season (five of 10), the joint-highest share of any player for their team in the Bundesliga, level with Werder Bremen's Niclas Fullkrug (50%). Ebnoutalib's only Bundesliga goal prior to this season came on his debut against Dortmund in January 2026.
Match Prediction: Borussia Dortmund Win
Dortmund have won more Bundesliga games against Eintracht than against any other opponent, both in total (52) and at home (39). BVB have won 14 of their last 15 Bundesliga home games against Frankfurt, with the only exception being a 2-1 defeat in April 2021 during Adi Hutter's first spell in charge of the Eagles.
Eintracht have conceded at least three goals in each of their last six Bundesliga top matches (25 in total), the second-longest such streak since the top match format was introduced in the 2009-10 season, behind only Schalke's run of eight consecutive games between 2020 and 2021.
Dortmund have drawn their last two Bundesliga matches and could now go three league games without a win for the first time under Kovac; they last went three games without a win in January 2025. Following their 1-0 win against Koln, Eintracht could win consecutive Bundesliga matches for the first time since November 2025. They last won back-to-back league games while keeping a clean sheet in November and December 2024.
Opta Win Probability
- Borussia Dortmund – 60.8%
- Draw – 19.8%
- Eintracht Frankfurt – 19.4%