Hamburger SV will be hoping to avoid falling back into a losing pattern on Tuesday, when they welcome Eintracht Frankfurt to Volksparkstadion for a showdown in the DFB-Pokal's second round.

This clash is one of four all-Bundesliga ties in this round of cup action, and both HSV and Die Adler will have one eye on their upcoming top-flight showdown on November 1.

Match preview

Merlin Polzin's Hamburger kicked off their league season with three consecutive defeats, and fans were fearing the worst, but they recovered by following up with a trio of victories.

However, HSV's surprise winning run was brought to an end on Saturday, when Felix Gotze - the younger brother of Frankfurt's Mario Gotze - struck in a 1-0 beating by Paderborn.

Any loss is disappointing in isolation, especially against a promoted team, but considering that Polzin's side's campaign has been defined by streaks so far, the manager will be desperate to prevent another damaging pattern forming in midweek.

Hamburger reached this stage courtesy of a commanding 3-0 victory over Verl, though it remains to be seen how the club's rotated XI fare against a Bundesliga opponent, rather than a 3. Liga one.

Regardless of who takes to the pitch, the hosts will draw confidence from the fact they have won two of their three competitive outings at Volksparkstadion this term, most recently beating Stuttgart 1-0.

Meanwhile, Adi Hutter's Frankfurt have made an inconsistent start of their own, winning just two their eight matches across all competitions so far.

Die Adler were ruthless in their first-round DFB-Pokal tie, demolishing SC St Tonis 11-0 on the road back in late August in a clash that saw 10 goals scored before half time, including a hat-trick from Jonathan Burkardt.

That being said, Hutter's side were only able to come out on top in one of their five games in the aftermath,  drawing twice and losing twice, most notably 6-0 to RB Leipzig on October 10.

Thankfully for Frankfurt, they bounced back by earning their first clean sheet since their cup opener in a 1-0 win over FC Koln, though the team continue their search for stability after losing 1-0 to Borussia Dortmund on Saturday.

In order to find their feet in midweek, Die Adler will need to remain composed in defence, but after seeing their team concede 11 goals across their last four away days, fans will be harbouring doubts.

Hamburger SV DFB-Pokal form:

Hamburger SV form (all competitions):

Eintracht Frankfurt DFB-Pokal form:

Eintracht Frankfurt form (all competitions):

Team News

Hamburger could rotate significantly, though they will be without midfielders Bilal Nadir, who is dealing with a muscle problem, and Nicolai Remberg, who suffered a cruciate ligament injury earlier this month.

In their absence, Albert Sambi-Lokonga could return to the XI after making a substitute appearance against Paderborn, joining Albert Gronbaek and Miro Muheim in the centre of the park.

Further forward, versatile attacker Fabio Vieira is sidelined while striker Patson Daka is a doubt, with both recovering from thigh injuries.

Filling the gaps, Polzin could opt for a pairing of Otto Stange and Terem Moffi up top, leaving Yussuf Poulsen as an option from the bench.

As for Eintracht Frankfurt, they are missing 18-year-old Malik Pimpong and fellow centre-forward Jessie Ngankam, who has a thigh injury of his own.

With that in mind, Younes Ebnoutalib could form a partnership with Ansgar Knauff up front, supported by Mario Gotze, Ayoube Amaimouni-Echghouyab and Can Uzun.

Hamburger SV possible starting lineup:

Tangvik; Nandja, Bornauw, Omari; Jatta, Lokonga, Gronbaek, Muheim, Lemke; Stange, Moffi

Eintracht Frankfurt possible starting lineup:

Kaua; Baum, Koch, Brassier, Kosugi; Onyedika; Amaimouni-Echghouyab, Uzun; Gotze; Ebnoutalib, Knauff

We say: Hamburger SV 2-1 Eintracht Frankfurt

Hamburger will be keen to avoid suffering consecutive defeats considering the nature of their streak-fuelled campaign so far, and they should be confident on home turf.

However, Frankfurt will pose a threat, even if their defensive woes may prove problematic in the end.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.