Albert Riera calls for veteran players to play a more important role.

The 33rd round of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season will take place, with Eintracht Frankfurt traveling to Signal Iduna Park to challenge Borussia Dortmund. Head coach Albert Riera stated that at such a crucial moment, the team needs experienced players to step up and provide guidance.

In the last round of the league, Eintracht Frankfurt took the lead with a goal from Jan Uzun, but then conceded several goals in the remaining time, ultimately losing 1-2 to Hamburg. After a run of 1 win, 2 draws, and 2 losses in their last 5 matches, Borussia Dortmund currently sits in 8th place in the standings with 43 points, still holding a slim chance of qualifying for European competition.

In their head-to-head record, Frankfurt has only managed one win, one draw, and three losses in their last five encounters with Dortmund, including a 3-3 draw at home in the first leg of this season after goals from Can Uzun, Ebuuttalib, and Mahmoud Dahoud.

Frankfurt coach Albert Riera said at a press conference, "We won't look at the statistics, we'll only focus on ourselves and what we can control, including how we perform with and without the ball. We've spent a lot of time this week discussing how to keep our formation compact because we didn't do well in that aspect in the last game. We need to understand where we start and where we want to go."

“We must play as a unit, especially away from home like Dortmund, and even more so when we don’t have the ball. We need to be solid defensively, but at the same time, we will try to keep the opponents chasing the ball. Of course, there will be times when we need to be under pressure.”

Speaking about the performance in the last game, Albert Riera said, "We had a frank exchange, more direct and honest than ever before. We told the team that now more than ever, we need experienced players to step up. We are a young team, so experienced people must take the lead. There was very honest communication among everyone, and everyone must shoulder their responsibilities."

"When we can't win, we have to accept criticism. Only in this way can we improve. We have two options: either shut ourselves off and blame each other, or find solutions to make our defense better and more compact, just like we did against Borussia Mönchengladbach, Heidenheim and Freiburg."

Regarding adjustments, Albert Riera stated, "Of course, there won't be any revolutionary changes. The important thing is that every player must take responsibility, win more challenges in physical duels, and show aggression and intensity. The data shows that we haven't done well enough in this regard, and recognizing this will help us improve."

“Our high pressing must be better than it was against Hamburg. We want to compress space, but it’s difficult to do that across the entire pitch, so the key is to stay compact further forward. We’ve thought about the problem carefully, and my job is to find a way to deal with it. It’s less of a tactical issue and more of an issue of overall compactness.”

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