Preview: Full speed ahead for Tottenham | OneFootball

Eintracht Frankfurt are hoping to finish their Champions League campaign on a positive note – and get their overall form back on track – against a Tottenham side who have impressed in Europe in recent seasons.

The backdrop

Like last season, Eintracht Frankfurt’s European campaign will come to an end against Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. Last week’s 3-2 defeat at Qarabağ FK ended the Eagles’ hopes of a place among the top 24 of the UEFA Champions League league phase. The Matchday 8 encounter kicks off at 21:00 CET.Looking back

These two big clubs last faced each other in the quarter-finals of the 2024/25 UEFA Europa League. The Premier League side triumphed on that occasion before going on to lift the trophy in Bilbao, thereby securing their place in Europe’s premier club competition this term. It was a different story in England’s top flight, where Spurs finished the season in 17th spot.

Currently 14th in the league, Danish head coach Thomas Frank’s team are once again performing much better in continental competition. They are fifth in the league phase table after seven matches and have their sights set on automatic qualification for the last 16. 

Despite exiting the competition on Wednesday evening, the Eagles are determined to deliver a strong performance against the London outfit at Deutsche Bank Park. “We’re playing in the Champions League, which is an honour for us,” said board member for sport Markus Krösche, adding: “The way we’ve been playing in recent weeks, including the results and the incredible number of goals we’ve conceded, obviously isn’t good enough for our fans. I can understand their dissatisfaction. We’re arguably in the most difficult period of the past four and a half years, but we’ll get out of this together.”

Interim head coach Dennis Schmitt has also come out fighting. “We’re professionals, the lads are professionals,” he said. “We have to stand our ground and get our confidence back with intensity and commitment in our duels. Either we get through this together, or it will be very, very difficult. That has been our message before the game and will remain our message going forward. We’re now going full speed ahead for Tottenham.”

Spurs impressive in Europe

Spurs have kept clean sheets in five of their seven European games this term – more than any other side apart from league-phase leaders and north London rivals Arsenal. Incidentally, Tottenham are the only club in Europe to have conceded a goal per game on average and keep clean sheets in 70 percent of their league-phase fixtures.

At the other end of the pitch, ten different players have found the net for Spurs in the Champions League this term – only reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain have had more different goalscorers.” 

“We need to put in a lot of effort”

“We want to – and need to – put in a lot of effort over 90 minutes on Wednesday and be decisive in our actions,” added Schmitt. Krösche echoed the interim coach’s sentiments. “We need to maintain the structure and energy we showed for 45 minutes against Hoffenheim over a longer period – ideally for 90 minutes and more. That’s the objective for the game against Tottenham.”