Eintracht Frankfurt still without Koch and Rode
Eintracht Frankfurt will again be without defensive boss Robin Koch for their home game against VfB Stuttgart. The 27-year-old is still suffering from a calf injury and will miss the clash with the third-placed team in the Bundesliga on Saturday (18:30/Sky). "Robin will definitely not play. We'll have to be patient for a while," said Eintracht coach Dino Toppmöller on Thursday.
However, he assumes that the international will return to the pitch in the first half of the season. "We are optimistic that he will play for us again this year. But I can't say when that will be," Toppmöller confirmed. Koch had recently missed his comeback in the DFB squad due to the injury.
The prognosis is not so favorable for captain Sebastian Rode, who also has a calf injury and has only made three brief appearances this season. The last time the 33-year-old midfielder was on the pitch was two months ago in the Conference League match against Aberdeen FC. "We're more pessimistic about Seppl. The longer you're out, the longer it takes you to get back into the rhythm," said Toppmöller, who celebrated his 43rd birthday on Thursday.
Despite the absence of Robin Koch and Sebastian Rode due to calf injuries, Eintracht Frankfurt will face VfB Stuttgart in the Bundesliga this Saturday. Despite being third in the league, VfB Stuttgart will look to capitalize on Eintracht Frankfurt's missing key players in their home game.
Source: www.dpa.com
