Ten wins, eight draws and four defeats: Eintracht’s record in their last 22 Friday Bundesliga fixtures is pretty impressive. Against Arminia Bielefeld, who visit Deutsche Bank Park this Friday (kick-off 20:30 CET), Eintracht have never lost on a Friday. The meetings in 1970 and 1999 ended 1-1, while the Hessians won 3-0 in 1984 and 2-1 in 2008.
“Score the goals”
If the home side get their way, that record will still be intact after the Matchday 20 curtain-raiser. “I think it will be similar against Bielefeld to the match against Augsburg,” said board member for sport Markus Krösche. “They’re a team who defend well and try to counter. We have to make sure we score the goals.” Head coach Oliver Glasner is calling for his team to show the same mettle at the other end of the pitch, too. “We need to make sure we keep clean sheets every now and then.”
Bielefeld with momentum
Bielefeld’s form is showing a clear upward curve. Frank Kramer’s side are unbeaten in their last four league games, beating Bochum and Leipzig 2-0 before successive 2-2 draws at Freiburg and at home to Greuther Fürth. Arminia currently occupy the relegation play-off spot in 16th, their best position since Matchday 7. Central to their resurgence has been Japanese midfielder Masaya Okugawa, who has registered six goals and one assist in Bielefeld’s last nine matches.
Match info
Kick-off Friday 21 January 2022, 20:30 CET, Bundesliga, Matchday 20
Stadium: Deutsche Bank Park, Frankfurt
