Europa League Preview | Eintracht Frankfurt vs Tottenham | OneFootball

After Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich’s elimination from the Champions League, Eintracht Frankfurt remain the Bundesliga’s sole representative in Europe this season. On Thursday night, they host Tottenham Hotspur at the Deutsche Bank Park.

Hugo Ekitike opened the scoring last week with an astute finish after six minutes, but Pedro Porro levelled the tie in the 26th minute. With the tie even at 1-1, it’s all to play for.

Eintracht Frankfurt and the Europa League – a match made in heaven

Should Eintracht Frankfurt book their place in the Europa League semi-final, it will be their third time in recent years having done so in 2019 and 2022. They beat West Ham United in 2022 to book a place in the final against Rangers in Sevilla in 2022 and went on to win 5-4 on penalties.

Only three players that started in the 2022 Europa League final remain in the squad today: Kevin Trapp – who is fit again after a recent injury, Tuta and Ansgar Knauff.

Tottenham don’t tend to have a particularly good record against German opposition either. They’ve lost six of their last seven knockout stage games away to Bundesliga opposition and have failed to score in four of their last five matches away to German teams.

What they said – via UEFA

Dino Toppmöller, Frankfurt coach: “In games like this, it all comes down to how well you play on the day. Everyone has to be at 100%, which I’m sure they will be. Also important: a good plan, good intensity and a bit of luck. We are also banking on having the home crowd behind us. It’s a very big game. It’s definitely my biggest game as coach. We believe in ourselves and our ability.”

Ange Postecoglou, Tottenham coach: “I don’t define my career or me as a person by what people think of me. If you don’t think I’m a good coach that’s not going to change because of what happens tomorrow. We’ve got a great opportunity tomorrow and I’m not going to let that slip by without fighting tooth and nail.”

Toppmöller is expected to name the same team that started in London, while Postecoglou will have to make one forced change with Mathys Tel – on loan from Bayern Munich, replacing the injured Heung-min Son.

GGFN | Daniel Pinder