Two of the Bundesliga's in-form teams will go head-to-head at the SchucoArena on Saturday afternoon as Arminia Bielefeld play host to Eintracht Frankfurt.
Uwe Neuhaus's men stormed to an impressive 3-0 win over Stuttgart in their most recent outing, whereas Frankfurt's winning run ended with a 2-2 draw at Freiburg.
Match preview
© Reuters
Many fans would have expected Arminia to make a swift return to the second tier given their dismal spell of form at the back end of last year, but they have given a terrific account of themselves in 2021 so far.
Since losing their first game of the calendar year to Borussia Monchengladbach, Neuhaus's men have beaten Hertha Berlin and Stuttgart either side of a draw with Hoffenheim - keeping a clean sheet in all three matches.
Ritsu Doan, Fabian Klos and an own goal from Marc-Oliver Kempf saw Arminia march to their biggest win of the season so far on Wednesday, although they remain just two points clear of the bottom three in 15th after Koln also tasted success in midweek.
However, the signs are wholly positive for an Arminia side who have shipped just 24 goals this season - one fewer than Bayern Munich - and victory here would see Neuhaus's men rise at least one place higher, as something has to give when Werder Bremen lock horns with Hertha.
The hosts are yet to share the spoils on home turf this season, but they are now facing the league's draw specialists in Frankfurt, who played out their ninth one-pointer of the season in gameweek 17.
© Reuters
Frankfurt's perfect start to Bundesliga proceedings in 2021 ended in midweek with a 2-2 draw at Freiburg, and the visitors had Keven Schlotterbeck's own goal to thank for their point at the Schwarzwald-Stadion.
Bar a 4-1 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen in the DFB-Pokal, Adi Hutter's side are firmly on the up having recovered from a below-par start to the campaign, and only one point separates this weekend's visitors from the top six as the season approaches its midway point.
The return of Luka Jovic on loan has provided the club with a significant uplift, but with Andre Silva leading the line, Frankfurt were never likely to struggle for goals. The 25-year-old's 12 strikes this season is only bettered by Robert Lewandowski, and with Jovic now keeping him on his toes, a fascinating battle to lead Hutter's attack is set to commence.
Frankfurt would stretch their unbeaten away run to four matches should they avoid defeat this weekend, and since the Bundesliga initially resumed in May from the spring's coronavirus-enforced lockdown, Hutter's men have only lost three Bundesliga games on the road.
Arminia held Frankfurt to a 1-1 draw when the sides met earlier in the season, but Saturday's hosts have not beaten Die Adler since the 2006-07 campaign.
Arminia Bielefeld Bundesliga form: LWLWDW
Eintracht Frankfurt Bundesliga form: DWWWWD
Eintracht Frankfurt form (all competitions): WWWLWD
Team News
© Reuters
Arminia have few concerns on the injury front at the minute, with Fabian Kunze deputising well in midfield for the injured Manuel Prietl, who is nursing a muscular problem.
Noel Niemann and Andreas Voglsammer also remain in the treatment room, but it is difficult to see Neuhaus making any changes from Wednesday's dominant win.
Meanwhile, Frankfurt will have to make do without Aymen Barkok, who is suspended after picking up his fifth booking of the season against Freiburg.
Daichi Kamada is the most likely candidate to fill in, but having played behind the striker on a few occasions during the 2018-19 campaign, Jovic could find himself supporting Silva up top.
Following David Abraham's emotional departure from the club, Tuta will be hoping to impress in Hutter's back three.
Arminia Bielefeld possible starting lineup:
Ortega Moreno; Brunner, Pieper, Nilsson, Laursen; Doan, Hartel, Kunze, Yabo; Klos, Cordova
Eintracht Frankfurt possible starting lineup:
Trapp; Tuta, Hinteregger, N'Dicka; Toure, Sow, Hasebe, Kostic; Kamada, Younes; Silva
We say: Arminia Bielefeld 0-1 Eintracht Frankfurt
Arminia's survival bid is gathering momentum by the week, but facing a Frankfurt side who have scored at least two goals in each of their last six matches is a different kettle of fish compared to an inconsistent Stuttgart team. The hosts can feel optimistic about their chances of pulling off another shock result, but we think that Frankfurt's quality will shine through and a narrow away win could be on the cards.
