Ange Postecoglou is gearing up for the biggest game of his Tottenham tenure so far, as his side take on Eintracht Frankfurt in the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final on Thursday evening.
The tie remains finely poised after Hugo Ekitike’s early goal was cancelled out by Pedro Porro in last week’s first leg in London. With the aggregate score locked at 1-1, everything is still to play for at Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt.
It has been a turbulent campaign for Postecoglou, who has had to contend with a staggering number of injuries. That said, there’s no denying that Spurs’ Premier League form has fallen well below expectations as they sit 15th in the table after 32 games.
The Europa League now presents a final opportunity to salvage their season and secure qualification for European football next term. But first, they must find a way past Frankfurt.
Who will Spurs face if they progress?
Spurs finished fourth in the league phase of this year’s competition, winning five of their eight games. Along the way, they picked up victories over Qarabag, Ferencvaros, AZ Alkmaar, Hoffenheim and IF Elfsborg.
Their only defeat came against Galatasaray, while they were held to draws by Roma and Rangers. In the round of 16, they faced AZ Alkmaar for the second time this season and produced a 3-1 second-leg comeback after losing the first leg 1-0.
Should Spurs get past Frankfurt, they will face either Norwegian side FK Bodø/Glimt or Serie A’s Lazio in the semi-finals. Bodø/Glimt currently lead 2-0 on aggregate ahead of Thursday’s second leg and are therefore favourites to progress.
The final will be held in Bilbao on 21 May, with Rangers, Athletic Bilbao, Manchester United and Lyon making up the other side of the draw.