The countdown to Tottenham's Europa League quarter-final tie against Eintracht Frankfurt is well and truly on. After getting the better of AZ Alkmaar in the round of 16, Spurs will face off against their German opponents over two games for a place in the final four of the competition.
Eintracht crucially have home advantage in the second leg on Thursday, April 17, with the first leg to be played at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium seven days earlier. Spurs do have two Premier League games in the calendar before their return to Europe but the main focus is very much on triumphing in the Europa League after a wretched season to date.
Previously the favourites to win the Europa League in Bilbao at the end of May, Athletic Club and Manchester United have now jumped ahead of Spurs with the bookmakers when it comes to winning UEFA's second club competition. Ange Postecoglou and Tottenham have an extremely tricky quarter-final tie on their hands, with Eintracht securing a 6-2 win over Ajax in the round of 16.
Not only that, the Bundesliga club fared rather well in the league phase after finishing fifth, which was one place and one point behind the Lilywhites. Dino Toppmoller's side only lost against Lyon and Roma in their eight league phase fixtures, with Viktoria Plzen the only other team to take points off them.
Their recent 4-1 win over Ajax highlights just how good a side they are as the Eredivisie league leaders were dispatched with ease at Deutsche Bank Park. Eintracht have in fact won four of their five Europa League fixtures on home soil this term and they are perhaps unlucky that their record doesn't stand at five wins from five following Vaclav Jemelka's stoppage-time equaliser for Viktoria Plzen back in September.
One player who has proved decisive for them in the Europa League this season is striker Hugo Ekitike. The 22-year-old has subsequently come to the attention of a number of top clubs and the German side may do well to keep hold of the Frenchman ahead of next campaign.
Previously boasting Omar Marmoush in their team before his big-money January transfer to Manchester City after netting 20 goals in the first half of the season, Ekitike is now Eintracht's star man and the one to watch. The ex-PSG man has 19 goals and eights assists to his name from 38 appearances this season and those figures will only continue to grow between now and May.
Ekitike has even been showcasing his goalscoring prowess on the international stage this month after helping himself to a hat-trick for France Under-21s in their 5-3 win over England Under-21s last Friday. Two of his treble were in fact set up by Tottenham winger Wilson Odobert.
Fellow Spurs man Mathys Tel is also an international teammate of Ekitike and it was he who replaced the Eintracht hotshot for the final 24 minutes of the contest. Postecoglou and his staff will be well aware of the threat Ekitike poses but they have two players in the squad who know him rather well following their time with France Under-21s.
Ekitike is not the only player Tottenham will have to keep close tabs on as midfielder Hugo Larsson is also making a big name for himself in the game. The midfielder is seen as someone who will compete with Lucas Bergvall for a place in the Sweden team over the coming years.
Ansgar Knauff and Mario Gotze are other stars to watch out for, with Eintracht having former Premier League players Robin Koch and Rasmus Kristensen in defence as well as Belgium international Arthur Theate. It's not just in the Europa League where Eintracht have impressed this campaign as they have also caught the eye domestically.
The German club are going along rather well in the Bundesliga and are on course to qualify for the Champions League via the top four. Eintracht are level on points with Mainz in third but they sit fourth as their rivals' goal difference is better by two.
Toppmoller's side will perhaps feel they should be sitting higher in the standings and a lot closer to Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen after 26 games. Their form in the Bundesliga has been rather patchy of late after only winning two of their last eight games, losing to the top two and Union Berlin during that period.
However, they are in an excellent position to finish in the top three for the first time in 13 years and also challenge for the Europa League trophy they won against Rangers back in 2022. Eintracht are a huge threat to Tottenham in the Europa League and Postecoglou's side are going to have to be at their very best to advance past Ekitike and Co.
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