Stuttgart – Eintracht Frankfurt : Preview & Prediction
Still embroiled in a battle to avoid relegation from the Bundesliga, the DFB-Pokal provides Stuttgart with a welcome respite from their league woes. However, this semifinal clash could come at a good time, with Stuttgart now unbeaten in five games in all competitions (G3, E2) following last Saturday’s 2-1 win over Borussia Monchengladbach.
That streak includes a 1-0 win against Nuremberg in the quarterfinals, which now gives them a chance to reach a DFB-Pokal final for the first time since the 2012/13 campaign. With several big teams already eliminated, this is a golden opportunity for Stuttgart to win a major trophy, and they have history on their side as they boast a 100% win rate against Eintracht Frankfurt playing at home in DFB-Pokal (G2).
Both meetings ended 3-2 to Stuttgart, and with Frankfurt coming in with just one win since mid-February, don’t rule out their poor form extending here. Due in large part to that dismal recent performance, Frankfurt find themselves five points off the Bundesliga Top 6, perhaps putting more pressure on them to break that negative string in this clash as the DFB-Pokal is now arguably their best route to Europe.
However, playing away from home complicates matters further as Frankfurt have not won an official match on rival soil since early November (E4, P6 since then). They won 3-1 on this stage when these two sides met in Bundesliga action in September, but there is no getting away from the fact that the poor away run may have raised some doubts as to whether Frankfurt can secure a first DFB-Pokal final appearance since 2017/18, a season in which they won this competition.
Players to watch: Stuttgart will be hoping for a winning goal contribution from Tanguy Coulibaly like last weekend, with his last three goals for the club being registered after the 70th minute. He may be looking to counter the impact of Randal Kolo Muani, with the Frankfurt star opening the scoring before the 15th minute in his last three DFB-Pokal matches.
Key stat: Frankfurt have conceded at least two goals in seven consecutive official away matches.
Stuttgart – Eintracht Frankfurt : Betting Tips
BTS/YES Odds: 2.25
