Tottenham are set to play the first of their two most important games of this season, as they take on Eintracht Frankfurt in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-final.
Ange Postecoglou is under tremendous pressure to deliver on his promise of winning a trophy, as the Australian had claimed that he always does in his second season. Winning the UEFA Europa League is imperative for Tottenham as well as their manager as only then will he have a chance to stay put in the hotseat, meaning they must beat Eintracht Frankfurt.
Tottenham’s season has gone downhill, and the trend has continued even with Postecoglou having a nearly full squad at his disposal. The fans were barely moved by the victory at the weekend against Southampton, which ended up relegating the south coast side from the Premier League. However, the mood was already dampened following Spurs’ loss to rivals Chelsea on the matchday before the Saints clash.
The Europa League remains the only hope for the North Londoners, who are into the European quarter-finals for the first time since beating Manchester City in 2019. They are into this stage of the current Europa League courtesy of a narrow victory over AZ Alkmaar, as Postecoglou’s side had to endure a difficult away trip first before securing passage in the home leg of their round-of-16 clash, as they now prepare a date with Eintracht Frankfurt.
Eintracht Frankfurt are already seen as one of the top contenders for the big prize in the second-tier European competition this season. Many believe the Europa League is Frankfurt’s competition, with only two defeats in their last 23 games.
The German side are into this round of this competition courtesy of a big aggregate victory over Ajax in the round of 16 with Frankfurt winning with a 6-1 margin. They are one of the favourites to lift the trophy, and they very recently won it under former boss and current Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner.
Irrespective of their status in the competition, Eintracht Frankfurt will have a big challenge ahead when they face Tottenham. While Spurs are not in the best of form, they will be a big team to beat in this competition, as this two-legged tie promises fireworks.
Team News & Tactics
Tottenham Hotspur
While Tottenham welcomed a few of their key stars back into the fold over the last few weeks, there are still many of those missing from action ahead of the game against Eintracht Frankfurt.
For instance, Ange Postecoglou can rely on starting choice defenders Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, but the squad is missing Radu Dragusin and Kevin Danso. Dejan Kulusevski is probably that one star missing who would have started games for Spurs had he stayed fit.
There are some others like Timo Werner, Fraser Forster and Antonin Kinsky who are ineligible as the club decided against registering them for the Europa League squad. Postecoglou is expected to name a familiar lineup to face Eintracht Frankfurt on home soil, with Pedro Porro likely to keep his place at right-back, while Djed Spence will be preferred over Destiny Udogie at left-back.
Rodrigo Bentancur will have Lucas Bergvall and James Maddison for company on either side in the midfield trifecta. Dominic Solanke continues to search for form, and he will lead the line for Tottenham against Eintracht Frankfurt. Son Heung-min and Brennan Johnson will start on either wing.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Vicario; Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Spence; Bergvall, Bentancur, Maddison; Johnson, Solanke, Son
Eintracht Frankfurt
There are a lot of doubtful names for Eintracht Frankfurt ahead of this trip to North London. Kevin Trapp, Ansgar Knauff, Can Uzun, Krisztian Lisztes, and Junior Dina Ebimbe are all in with a chance of missing out. The big miss for the German side will be Elye Wahi and Timothy Chandler, with the duo missing through injuries.
Dino Toppmoller will keep his shape intact with a 4-2-3-1 formation set to take shape against Tottenham. Robin Koch and Arthur Theate will pair up at the heart of the defence, with Rasmus Kristensen and Nathaniel Brown taking up the full-back roles. Tuta and Ellyes Skhiri will feature in the central midfield positions, with Hugo Larsson reprising the advanced role for the away side.
Mario Gotze, who was in top form against, Ajax will keep his place on the right-hand side of the attack, with Jean-Matteo Bahoya on the wide areas. Hugo Ekitike has been sensational for Eintracht Frankfurt, and he will continue to lead the line for the German club against Tottenham.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Santos; Kristensen, Koch, Theate, Brown; Tuta, Skhiri; Gotze, Larsson, Bahoya; Ekitike
Key Stats
Tottenham have lost only one of their last six games on home soil.
Tottenham are unbeaten at home this season in the Europa League.
Eintracht Frankfurt have lost only two of their last 23 Europa League games.
Eintracht Frankfurt have lost two of their last three games on the road in the UEFA Europa League.
Hugo Ekitike has been involved in six goals in 10 UEFA Europa League appearances this season (G3 A3), scoring and assisting in the second leg of the round of 16 against Ajax. However, the French striker has not scored in any of his five away games.
Player to Watch
Dominic Solanke
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Questions have been asked about Solanke and whether he is worth the £65 million Spurs paid to sign him. While he has been missing from action for a while due to an injury, the English striker has a good chance to return to form and focus his energy on the UEFA Europa League.
Tottenham have a realistic chance of reaching the final if they find a way past Eintracht Frankfurt in the quarter-finals. However, Solanke must find form as early as Thursday. In addition, the rivalry with Hugo Ekitike will be an interesting watch, and Solanke will certainly hope to come out on top to help his team take advantage into the second leg in Germany.
Interestingly, Solanke has a solid record in the UEFA Europa League this season. Solanke has been involved in six goals in only 361 minutes of Europa League action this season (G2 A4), scoring or assisting every 62 minutes. The only Englishman with more assists in a Europa League season is Bukayo Saka in 2019/20 for Arsenal (five).
Prediction
Tottenham 2-2 Eintracht Frankfurt
One might expect this to be an open game given both these teams like to play attacking football in their way. Eintracht Frankfurt are set to visit the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as the slight favourites in the two-legged tie given their recent success in Europe, although Spurs will be given the benefit of the doubt due to the home advantage.
Either way, these are two competitive teams, and with Tottenham having many of their key stars available, they could put up a good fight against the German side. The game has the hallmarks of an entertaining draw, with both teams expected to score at least twice in North London.