Paderborn vs Frankfurt: Ebnoutalib Is the Difference

Four goals in two appearances. Let that sink in for a second. Y. Ebnoutalib is sitting alongside L. Díaz and E. Demirović as one of the Bundesliga's most lethal forwards this season, and on Saturday he heads to a Paderborn side that is missing two centre-backs before the teamsheet is even printed. If you're a Paderborn supporter, that is not a fun way to spend your Friday night thinking about tomorrow's matchweek 9 fixture.

Paderborn come into this one with a 2W-2D-2L record across their last six, scoring 6 and conceding 8 in that stretch. There's been some decent moments in there — a 1-0 win over Hamburger SV, a solid 0-0 away at Borussia Mönchengladbach — but also a 2-2 draw at Werder Bremen that showed how easily this defence can be opened up. And here's the thing: N. Awortwie-Grant and M. Hoffmeier are both out injured at centre-back, which means the hosts are going to be patching together their defensive shape against one of the most in-form strikers in the division. T. Gayret is also missing with a cruciate ligament tear, so the midfield engine room takes a hit too, and S. Michel is unavailable up front. That is four absentees, and they're not minor ones.

Frankfurt are dealing with their own absences — F. Chaïbi, A. Knauff and M. Pimpong are all out — but they still have 34 available players and genuine quality throughout. N. Atubolu made 11 saves across just two appearances in goal, which suggests Frankfurt have had their own defensive wobbles, and their last six results of W, D, L, W, L, W show a team that blows hot and cold. They were beaten by Borussia Dortmund 1-0 not long ago. But they also put three past Hamburger SV and ground out a 1-0 win over FC Köln, which is exactly the kind of penalty-box efficiency that travels. R. Dōan created 3 key passes in a single appearance from the right wing, and Elias Baum has shown he can contribute from centre-back with an assist from his 2 appearances. This is not a one-man team, even if Ebnoutalib is their headline act and arguably the most dangerous transfer of the summer window in fantasy football circles.

For Paderborn to get anything out of this match preview turning into a positive result, they need N. Noll to have another sharp day in goal — he picked up a clean sheet and 4 saves in his one appearance — and R. Obermair to run the midfield with the 2 key passes he showed in his sole outing. But let's be honest, the squad depth gap between these two clubs on Saturday is significant, and Eintracht Frankfurt's attack, led by a striker scoring at two goals per appearance, should be too much. Frankfurt to take the three points.

Clubs in this story

Eintracht Frankfurt Paderborn Borussia Mönchengladbach Borussia Dortmund Werder Bremen Hamburger SV FC Köln