“Pose Tottenham plenty of problems“ | OneFootball

Dennis Schmitt and Ansgar Knauff discuss Tottenham Hotspur, personnel news and the team’s aims on Wednesday evening.

Eintracht Frankfurt welcome Tottenham Hotspur to Deutsche Bank Park on Wednesday evening for the final league-phase fixture of this season’s UEFA Champions League (kick-off 21:00 CET). The Eagles are no longer able to advance to the knockout rounds of the competition, but are nevertheless determined to sign off with a positive performance.

At the pre-match press conference, Dennis Schmitt and Ansgar Knauff gave their thoughts on...

… how things stand

Dennis Schmitt: “We know we’re going up against a good side, but that’s par for the course in the Champions League. We’re looking forward to another evening game and are determined to get a good result. Eintracht Frankfurt versus Tottenham Hotspur just has the ring of a Champions League fixture. We’re prepared to face a very good opponent. They’re an English side and they’ll be very physical. Tottenham have a great deal of individual quality, but we do too. We have a good plan, we’ll pose Tottenham plenty of problems and really take the fight to them.”Ansgar Knauff: “I’m looking forward to it, these games are always special. Unfortunately it’s our last Champions League game of the season. We all wanted to win in Baku, which would have made this game a final. Having said that, we’ll do everything we can to get a good result.”

… the significance of the game

Dennis Schmitt: “We’re viewing this game as an opportunity. It’s a big opportunity to take another big step forwards. For us as a team, and also for us all as individuals, it’s a chance, but what matters is the collective, not individuals. It’s the Champions League. Millions of kids dream of one day being out on the pitch and hearing the anthem. There’s no way we’re just going to give them even a millimetre. We’ll give our all to win this game.”Ansgar Knauff: “I try to help the boys with my experience. The fans in Frankfurt always recognise it if you give everything on the pitch and give your all for the club - regardless of the situation. I think we’ve all got an opportunity now to get the fans back on our side in the coming weeks, and to be successful together.”

…Can Uzun

Dennis Schmitt: “We’ll miss him. Can has extraordinary abilities.”

… striking options

Dennis Schmitt: “We’ve got a lot of quality up front. We can tweak things and become more unpredictable. But we’re not going to show our hand now. We’ll start with a lot of quality on Wednesday, and we’ll also have quality on the bench.”

… Jonathan Burkardt

Dennis Schmitt: “We’re taking things step by step, but without taking any risks. It was very positive that he’s had his boots back on and had a ball at his feet. He had a smile on his face out on the pitch.”