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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.

A host of top premier League sides are keen on signing Joao Gomes from Wolves, who will demand a significant fee to sell.

According to Rudy Galetti, At least four top Premier League sides are keeping close tabs on Wolves midfielder Joao Gomes. Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester United have all shown an interest in signing the 23-year-old Brazilian midfielder, with Wolves likely to sell for a suitable offer.r

Top clubs chasing Joao Gomes

There are hardly any profiles of players who can take up multiple roles in a team, especially in central midfield. Joao Gomes arrived from Flamengo in January of 2023, and while it has taken him at least six months to settle in, Gary O’Neil brought the best out of the 23-year-old Brazilian midfielder.

Last summer was tricky for Wolves, who lost Portuguese midfield pair Ruben Neves and Matheus Nunes in the same window. They needed someone to step in for the loss, and Gomes made his mark, forging a strong partnership with Mario Lemina in the centre of the pitch.

He was instrumental in Wolves’ mid-table finish, playing 34 times in the Premier League. During the end of the season, many reports emerged of potential interest from top sides, including Arsenal and Manchester United, while Liverpool and Tottenham are also keen on the 23-year-old Brazilian midfielder.

The interest remains intact, as these sides are set to make their move for the 23-year-old Brazilian midfielder. Wolves are confident of keeping the midfielder in their ranks, although much like the case of Nunes, they will find it difficult to go against the player’s wishes if he sought a switch to one of the bigger sides.

Wolves will demand big for Gomes

Wolves have been expert sellers in this window over the last few windows. They are aware of the demand for a profile like Gomes and will demand significantly. The interested clubs are financially capable of paying what’s required to sign a player of the Brazilian’s quality.

While Wolves are reportedly open to a sale, they will only do so if they can receive suitable offers. The club is expected to demand at least three times what they paid Flamengo for the 23-year-old Brazilian midfielder, meaning this sale could be reminiscent of that of Nunes from last summer when the Portuguese international joined Manchester City.

Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly interested in signing 16-year-old German midfield sensation Boris Lum from Hertha BSC.

According to a report by German outlet BILD, Boris Lum is gaining popularity in the market in the summer transfer window. Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur are interested in the German midfield sensation, with the latter meeting his representatives three times for talks over a possible move. In addition, the Hertha BSC wonderkid is a target for Ajax and Bayern Munich.

Who is Boris Lum?

Boris Lum is the latest highly-rated German wonderkid to rise in prominence in his homeland. The country is witnessing the rise of the latest generation of world-beaters, with highly-rated prospects like Maximilian Beier, Youssoufa Moukoko, and Brajan Gruda attracting interest from abroad.

As for Lum, he is a native of Berlin and spent the early years of his youth career with Borussia Friedrichsfelde and Union Berlin. The German midfield sensation has been with Hertha BSC since 2016 and has gone from strength to strength in the last eight years at the German club.

The 16-year-old represents Germany’s under-17 side internationally and has broken into the under-19 team at Hertha BSC. In addition, Cristian Fiel has compelled the club to bring him to first-team training sessions. Meanwhile, the youngster’s progress has not gone unnoticed, alerting several high-profile clubs, including Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur.

Premier League beckons?

Manchester City’s interest in Boris Lum is understandable. The Premier League champions constantly scour the market for highly-rated prodigies, with recent reports linking them with Han Willhoft-King, Harrison Miles, and Mikey Moore, among others. Lum has now emerged as a viable target.

As for Tottenham, they have started focusing on recruiting highly-rated prospects since Ange Postecoglou arrived at the club. Luka Vuskovic, Lucas Bergvall, and Archie Gray have already joined Tottenham, with Lum now emerging as a viable target. Meanwhile, the 16-year-old German midfield sensation’s representatives have already met the North London club thrice.

However, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur face stiff competition in the race to secure Boris Lum’s services, with Ajax and Bayern Munich also keen on signing him. It will be interesting to see if the 16-year-old moves abroad in the coming weeks amid the emerging links.