Diverging paths for Frankfurt and Fürth
Munich - They were very much on par at the end of the 2011/12 Bundesliga 2 season, but life in Germany's top flight hasn't been quite as kind to Greuther Fürth as it has to high-flying Eintracht Frankfurt.
Luckless
Last year's Bundesliga 2 champions Fürth are rooted to the bottom ahead of Sunday's clash, stark contrast to visiting Frankfurt, who, remarkably, remain in contention for Europe only a year after promotion. So where has it all gone wrong for Fürth?
While it is no surprise that both sides have had to adapt from their dominant displays in the second tier last term, Frankfurt appear to have retained their possession-oriented play, while the Clover Leaves have struggled to find any sort of momentum whatsoever.
It also seems that having Bundesliga-proven players such as 12-time goalscorer at their disposal has made a telling difference in Frankfurt. Few Greuther players had enjoyed Bundesliga air before the summer - is one of only a handful in their squad, and it's little coincidence that the former 1. FSV Mainz 05 man is the Franconians' top scorer with three goals.
Young guns
What is more, a number of the Frankfurt young guns, such as Germany Under-21s Sebastian Jung and Sebastian Rode have made great strides this term, whereas Fürth have only recently begun to reap the rewards of blooding younger talent, dodging defeat in three of their last four games.
"There was passion, there was commitment, they really emptied the tank," said new head coach Frank Cramer after their 2-2 draw at SV Werder Bremen on Matchday 26. However, with Fürth a daunting nine points adrift of the relegation play-off spot already, it's going to take something more than just passion and commitment if Fürth are going to be playing in the same league as Frankfurt again next season.
Felix Seaman-Höschele
