The Frankfurt team hit the fewest crosses of all 18 clubs in the fall. That will probably change with the two-meter man in the center of the storm. “If you break through on the wing and now have a player like Sasa up front, you can simply bring in a cross or cross from the halffield – he gives us a different element. If I know that a two-meter man is in the penalty area, it’s different,” explained Toppmöller.
But the coach doesn’t want to put too much pressure on Kalajdzic and the second newcomer, Donny van de Beek. “We don’t expect the winter newcomers to excel in the first two games or for Sasa to score a hat trick on Saturday. We brought them in so that they could help us throughout the second half of the season,” he emphasized, but was full of praise for his new striker. “He is a very open and positive guy and wants to take on responsibility straight away on the pitch,” said Toppmöller.
Difficult time in England
Kalajdzic had a difficult time in England. The Viennese tore a cruciate ligament on his debut for Wolverhampton, then missed an entire season and played a manageable 159 minutes in the Premier League in the autumn. He is now eager for his comeback in the German Bundesliga, where he scored 22 goals in 51 games between September 2020 and August 2022. “I feel ready. You never have fun against Leipzig, they are an unpleasant opponent. But I’m still happy. I just want to play successfully again and have fun kicking,” said the 26-year-old.
German Bundesliga
Schedule and table
He and his coach agree on what he can give Eintracht. “The team played without a real striker for the past half-year. I believe that I can fill this role well. “I bring certain components into the game thanks to my size and characteristics and I believe that I can complement the game well,” said the Austrian. “If there is a tall guy in the penalty area, then you should feed him,” said Kalajdzic, who also wants to push for a place in the Austrian squad for the European Championships in Germany in the next few months.
See you again with compatriots
In the duel between the sixth in the table and the fourth in the table, he will face three compatriots. It is expected that Nicolas Seiwald will replace Amadou Haidara, who is also at the African Cup, and will work together with Xaver Schlager in the central midfield. Christoph Baumgartner is intended for a more offensive role.
Leipzig and Frankfurt will meet for the first time since the cup final in June, which Leipzig won 2-0. Leipzig coach Marco Rose expects Eintracht to be only slightly different, mainly due to Kalajdzic. “The basic nature will not change, now there is an additional factor, from now on there will be more crosses because there is a target player waiting in the center. It will be our job to defend that,” emphasized Rose.
New teammates for Sabitzer
Between Leipzig and Frankfurt, Borussia Dortmund is in fifth place in the table. BVB started the new year 15 points behind Leverkusen and six points away from a Champions League place. Borussia is now attacking with two players on loan from top English clubs. The club of ÖFB team player Marcel Sabitzer brought back the English midfielder Jadon Sancho from Manchester United, and the Dutch left-back Ian Maatsen was signed by Chelsea. The comeback should start on Saturday with a win against bottom team Darmstadt 98.
Leaders Bayer Leverkusen visit FC Augsburg, third-placed VfB Stuttgart concludes the 17th round on Sunday with a visit to Borussia Mönchengladbach, who let the Austrian Hannes Wolf go.
Emotional Bayern win against Hoffenheim
Bayern Munich returned in style from the winter break on Friday on an evening marked by the memory of Franz Beckenbauer. The series champions defeated TSG Hoffenheim 3-0 in the Allianz Arena and initially reduced the gap to league leaders Bayer Leverkusen to one point. The man of the game was Jamal Musiala, who scored the first two goals (18th, 70th) – both after assists from Leroy Sane.
Harry Kane scored the final point in the 91st minute. With his 22nd goal of the season, the English Bayern striker equaled his predecessor Robert Lewandowski’s first-round record from the 2020/21 season.
German Bundesliga, 17th round
Friday, January 12th: Bayern Munich * Hoffenheim ** 3:0 Saturday, January 13th: Augsburg Leverkusen 3:30 p.m. Leipzig Frankfurt 3:30 p.m. Freiburg Union Berlin 3:30 p.m. Cologne Heidenheim 3:30 p.m. Mainz Wolfsburg 3:30 p.m. Darmstadt Dortmund 6:30 p.m. Sunday, 14. January: Bochum Bremen 3:30 p.m. Mönchengladbach Stuttgart 5:30 p.m
* Laimer until the 78th minute
** Grillitsch played through
Tabel:
2024-01-13 09:45:07
#Football #Kalajdzic #inspire #Frankfurt
