Eintracht Frankfurt endured a heavy 6-0 defeat to RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga on Saturday, exposing defensive frailties ahead of their UEFA Champions League match against Barcelona. The loss comes at a tough time for Dino Toppmöller's side, who now face a crucial trip to Camp Nou. Barcelona, meanwhile, sit with seven points in the Champions League league phase.
Eintracht Frankfurt suffered their biggest defeat of the season, losing 6-0 to RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga on Saturday. The match highlighted resurfacing defensive issues for the Eagles, who had previously shown solidity in Europe, including a 0-0 draw against Napoli in the Champions League on Matchday 4.
RB Leipzig took the lead early, with goals from Conrad Harder and Christoph Baumgartner putting them 2-0 up after just 30 minutes. In the second half, Yan Diomande completed a hat-trick, while David Raum converted a penalty to seal the emphatic victory. Frankfurt's sporting director Markus Krösche admitted the poor performance post-match, telling Sky Sport: "We were simply far too bad today. We defended poorly and made it far too easy for Leipzig. We’re making too many simple errors and then it’s just not enough."
The result leaves Frankfurt needing to rebound quickly for their Champions League fixture against Barcelona on Tuesday at 9pm CET. The two teams last met in the 2021/22 UEFA Europa League quarter-finals, where Frankfurt won 3-2 in Spain en route to the title. Only Ansgar Knauff and Timothy Chandler remain from that squad.
For Frankfurt, key midfielder Can Uzun returned to the bench after injury, with Hugo Larsson also back, potentially in line for the Barcelona game. However, top scorer Jonathan Burkardt is out with a calf injury. Barcelona, under Hansi Flick, have seven points in the league phase and face pressure to secure a result, with Robert Lewandowski yet to score in Europe this season. Injuries sideline Marc-André ter Stegen, Gavi, Ronald Araujo, and Dani Olmo for the hosts.