Is Eintracht Frankfurt Good Enough for Europe? Doubts Grow After Leipzig Defeat

After a disappointing 1-3 home loss to RB Leipzig on April 5, 2025, the pressure is mounting on Eintracht Frankfurt and head coach Albert Riera as the Bundesliga club fights to secure a European spot for next season. With just five games remaining, the question isn’t just about pride — it’s about whether the squad has the quality, cohesion, and tactical discipline to compete meaningfully in continental competition.

The defeat at Deutsche Bank Park left Frankfurt languishing in eighth place in the Bundesliga table with 42 points, six behind sixth-place Borussia Mönchengladbach and eight adrift of Champions League qualification. While the Europa League remains within reach, the performance against Leipzig exposed persistent flaws that have haunted the team all season: defensive fragility, lack of creativity in the final third, and an overreliance on individual brilliance rather than structured play.

Riera, appointed in December 2024 following the departure of Dino Toppmöller, has struggled to implement his preferred high-pressing, possession-based system. Against Leipzig, Frankfurt managed just 41% possession and completed only 78% of their passes — well below their season averages of 48% and 83%, respectively. The midfield, anchored by the experienced Skhiri and the energetic Hugo Larsson, was overrun by Leipzig’s double pivot of Christoph Baumgartner and Nicolas Seiwald, who combined for 18 tackles and interceptions.

“We were second to every loose ball, and when we did win it, we gave it away too easily,” Riera said in his post-match press conference. “That’s not the level we need to be at if we want to play in Europe next year. It’s not just about wanting it — it’s about executing under pressure, and we failed to do that today.”

The German tactician’s job security has become a topic of increasing speculation in Frankfurt’s local media. While club sporting director Markus Krösche has publicly backed Riera, sources close to the board indicate that failure to qualify for European competition could trigger a review. Eintracht Frankfurt’s financial model relies heavily on UEFA revenue, with Europa League group stage participation alone worth approximately €15.6 million in base funding and market pool shares, according to Deloitte’s 2024 Football Money League report.

Defensively, the concerns are equally pressing. Robin Koch, who returned to Frankfurt in January 2025 after a loan spell at Leeds United, has started just six of the last ten Bundesliga matches due to recurring knee discomfort. In his absence, the central defensive pairing of Arthur Theate and Nathaniel Brown has been leaky, conceding 1.8 goals per game in those appearances. Koch himself admitted after the Leipzig match: “We’re not defending as a unit. Too often, we’re reacting instead of anticipating. That’s not good enough for Europe.”

Going forward, Frankfurt’s fixture list offers both opportunity and danger. They host struggling Augsburg on April 12, travel to face Champions League-chasing Stuttgart on April 19, then host Hoffenheim on April 26 before a daunting trip to Bayern Munich on May 3. The season concludes with home matches against Wolfsburg (May 10) and Borussia Dortmund (May 17). Six points from the final three games would likely secure sixth place — and Europa League qualification — assuming Mönchengladbach or Freiburg drop points.

Offensively, the reliance on Omar Marmoush has become a double-edged sword. The Egyptian forward leads the team with 12 Bundesliga goals and 5 assists, but when he’s marked tightly — as Leipzig did by assigning two defenders to shadow him — Frankfurt struggles to create alternatives. Junior Dina Ebimbe and Farès Chaïbi have shown flashes, but neither has yet delivered the consistent threat needed to lift the team beyond dependence on one player.

Statistically, Frankfurt ranks 11th in the Bundesliga for expected goals (xG) per match at 1.32, suggesting their actual goal tally of 44 is slightly inflated by finishing luck. Conversely, their expected goals against (xGA) of 1.48 indicates they’ve been fortunate to concede only 41 goals so far — a number likely to rise if defensive coordination doesn’t improve. Against elite European opposition, such margins rarely hold.

The club’s Europa League hopes are not yet extinguished. Sevilla, currently sixth in La Liga, holds the final automatic qualification spot for next season’s Europa League with 52 points. Frankfurt would need to overtake them in the UEFA coefficient rankings — a long shot given Sevilla’s superior recent European record — or win the DFB-Pokal to guarantee a place. Frankfurt faces Bayer Leverkusen in the semifinal on April 2, 2025 — a match that could define their season.

“We still believe,” said captain Sebastian Rode after the Leipzig loss. “But belief without improvement is just hope. We need to reveal more consistency, more aggression, more intelligence. The next few weeks will advise us if we’re ready — or if we’ve got work to do.”

For now, the doubts persist. And in football, especially when chasing European football, doubts — if left unaddressed — have a way of becoming realities.

Eintracht Frankfurt’s next match is against FC Augsburg on April 12, 2025, at 3:30 PM CET (1:30 PM UTC) at Deutsche Bank Park. Fans can follow live updates via the club’s official website and social media channels.

What do you think? Can Eintracht Frankfurt turn things around and earn their place in Europe? Share your thoughts in the comments below or join the conversation on social media using #SGE.