Bayer Leverkusen vs Eintracht Frankfurt Prediction: Dazzling Doan can disrupt Hjulmand debut

Erik ten Hag's tenure as Bayer Leverkusen head coach lasted less than four months, with the Dutchman setting a new record for the fewest league matches in charge (two) before being dismissed in Germany. The former Manchester United and Ajax boss was sacked on September 1, with former Denmark manager Kasper Hjulmand announced as his replacement a week later.

Hjulmand faces a tough debut in the BayArena dugout, with Eintracht Frankfurt, who finished third in last season's Bundesliga and are one of three clubs with a 100% record after two games this term, their opponents on Friday evening (19:30 BST, BBC iPlayer). Below are my Bayer Leverkusen vs Eintracht Frankfurt predictions, supported by all the latest team news and match odds.

Team News

It's difficult to predict Hjulmand's first starting XI as Leverkusen's head coach, considering he has been out of management since July 2024 and hasn't been active in club football since leaving Danish side Nordsjaelland in March 2019.

Still, we can expect to see the likes of Alejandro Grimaldo, Robert Andrich and Patrik Schick, all important players over the last couple of years, helping Die Werkself to win the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal in 2023/24, from the beginning, alongside big summer signings like Jarell Quansah and Malik Tillman.

Lucas Vasquez, Eliesse Ben Seghir and Ezequiel Fernandez will all hope to make their Leverkusen debuts following their late-summer arrivals, but Jeanuel Belocian (knee) and Jonas Hoffman (hamstring) could miss out after recent injury issues.

Football Odds

As for Eintracht, Kaua Santos (knee) and Jessic Ngankam (leg) are sidelined, while Mario Gotze (muscle), who missed the 3-1 win at Hoffenheim last time out, is doubtful.

The visitors will hope to welcome back one of their major summer signings, Jonathan Burkardt, who was brought in from Mainz following an 18-goal Bundesliga campaign, to replace now-Liverpool star Hugo Ekitike in attack. Burkardt was absent against Hoffenheim due to a back injury, but could return on Friday and reclaim his starting spot up top at the expense of Elye Wahi.

Can Yilmaz Uzun, Jean-Matteo Bahoya and another summer recruit, Ritsu Doan, have all scored two Bundesliga goals in as many games this season for Dino Toppmoller's side, with all three players expected to play leading roles in Leverkusen this week.

Today's Football Fixtures

Bayer Leverkusen vs Eintracht Frankfurt Odds

Leverkusen might be point-less after two games, but they are buoyed by a strong recent record against Eintracht, having won the five previous meetings. Hoping for the famous new-manager bounce, too, it might be tempting to back Die Werkself for victory on Friday, with their 13/10 price implying a 43.5% probability of success. The visitors, though, are unbeaten in eight Bundesliga games since April 5 (W5, D3), and have struck seven league goals already this season. At 15/8, suggesting a 34.8% chance, punters may be inclined to back the form side instead.

Remarkably, there hasn't been a stalemate between these two teams in any of their 22 meetings since December 2012; you can back this run to end at 13/5, while both teams to score, which has landed in five of the last six head-to-heads, including both last season, is available at 4/9.

Anytime Goalscorer - Ritsu Doan (SGE) @ 5/2

I like the look of a few Eintracht players in the anytime goalscorer market; Burkardt (6/4) scored against Leverkusen in his final appearance for Mainz in May, while Can Uzun (21/10) and Bahoya (13/5) have started the season with two goals in as many league games.

However, it's another two-goal forward, Doan, who I'm backing to find the net on Friday.

The Japanese international joined Eintracht during the summer, following an impressive three-season stay at Freiburg, where he struck 22 Bundesliga goals, including 10 in 2024/25 alone.

Doan made his Eintracht debut in the DFB-Pokal first round against Engers, bagging a brace in a 5-0 victory. He started their first league game six days later, a 4-1 win against Werder Bremen, before truly announcing himself at Hoffenheim, scoring twice and providing an assist.

The 27-year-old didn't manage to get on the scoresheet against Leverkusen for Freiburg last season, but he did find the net in a 3-2 defeat during Leverkusen's famous Invincibles campaign in 2023/24. With the momentum he has already built up at Eintracht, he looks great value at 5/2 to strike.

Player to Receive a Card - Robert Andrich (LEV) @ 12/5

Leverkusen captain Andrich made three fouls in last season's corresponding fixture, although he managed to evade a booking at the BayArena. Still, only against Stuttgart, RB Leipzig, Cologne (all five), Mainz and Wolfsburg (both four) has he received more yellow cards in his career than against Eintracht (three).

The 30-year-old has been booked 5+ times in six of his seven full Bundesliga seasons, the first two as a Union Berlin player. He was shown seven yellows in the competition last season, despite only starting 19 times, and averaged 1.3 fouls per game.

Andrich has already committed five fouls this term, three across two Bundesliga appearances, and two in Leverkusen's 4-0 victory at fourth-tier side Grossaspach in the DFB-Pokal first round.

After losing their opening two league games in 2025/26 and changing managers, you can be sure the hosts will be bang up for this fixture against Eintracht, with Andrich likely to be leading the charge in the middle of midfield. The German international is tenacious, and we could see him fly into a few challenges on Friday, with the likes of Doan, who averaged 1.6 fouls won per game in last season's Bundesliga, posing problems.

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