Football London

Ange Postecoglou is holding his press conference after Tottenham drew 1-1 on Eintracht Frankfurt in their Europa League quarter-final first leg on Thursday.

The Europa League offers the chance for Postecoglou and his Spurs players to salvage their stuttering campaign but they came up against tricky opposition in Frankfurt, with the Bundesliga outfit having dispatched Dutch giants Ajax with little fuss to advance from the round of 16.

The German side opened the scoring after just six minutes when Hugo Ekitike struck a low shot into the bottom right corner from outside the box following a break up the pitch after James Maddison was dispossessed in the visitors' half.

Pedro Porro scored a terrific equaliser on 26 minutes. A ball from Son Heung-min over the top found Dominic Solanke's run. The striker found Maddison who jinked past his man and played the ball across the six-yard box where Porro back-flicked it through the defender's legs and into the net with his heel.

Spurs had a string of opportunities in the second half with Lucas Bergvall and Rodrigo Bentancur both hitting the crossbar and Son and Maddison forcing the keeper into saves before Micky van de Ven had a late bouncing header tipped over, but they could not find a second goal to take to Germany.

Our Spurs correspondent Alasdair Gold is among those putting the questions to Postecoglou. Scroll down for his latest updates from the press conference at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Tottenham drew 1-1 with Eintracht Frankfurt in their Europa League quarter-final first leg on Thursday and here are our Spurs player ratings from the game.

Ange Postecoglou and Spurs were looking to keep their season alive with a strong performance in north London ahead of the second leg in Germany next week. The Europa League offers the hope for Postecoglou and his players to salvage their campaign, but Frankfurt dispatched Dutch giants Ajax with little fuss in the round of 16.

Postecoglou had a near full squad to choose from, with only Dejan Kulusevski, Kevin Danso and long-term absentee Radu Dragusin out. The Tottenham head coach went with Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie as full-backs with Djed Spence taking his turn on the bench. Up front, Brennan Johnson started again following his two goals against Southampton alongside Dominic Solanke and Son Heung-min.

Frankfurt opened the scoring after just six minutes as Hugo Ekitike struck an excellent low shot into the bottom right corner from outside the box following a break up the pitch after James Maddison was dispossessed in the visitors' half.

Pedro Porro scored a terrific equaliser on 26 minutes. A ball from Son Heung-min over the top found Dominic Solanke's run. The striker found Maddison who jinked past his man and played the ball across the six-yard box where Porro back-flicked it through the defender's legs and into the net with his heel.

Spurs had a string of chances in the second half with Lucas Bergvall and Rodrigo Bentancur both hitting the crossbar and Son and Maddison forcing the keeper into saves before Micky van de Ven had a late bouncing header tipped over.

Here are our Tottenham player ratings after the stalemate:

Guglielmo Vicario

Couldn't do much about Ekitike's clinical low finish early in the game. Didn't have much else to do. 6

Pedro Porro

Equalised with a lovely back-flick from Maddison's low cross and sent in some good corners, one of which Bentancur headed on to the crossbar. His defending and passing was a bit erratic at times but his set pieces provided plenty of quality for opportunities in the second half including chances for Bentancur and Van de Ven. 7

Cristian Romero

After some iffy early passing, the vice-captain tried to drive Spurs on with a few bursts through the midfield. That did see him caught upfield a couple of times. 7

Micky van de Ven

Made some good tackles and had a late chance tipped over the crossbar. 7

Destiny Udogie

Justified the decision to select him with a strong performance down the flank, with plenty of forward momentum and defended well on the whole. Looked to have picked up an issue though before coming off. 7

Lucas Bergvall

Kept trying to up the tempo and made an important sliding interception in his own box five minutes into the second half. Almost scored a remarkable goal when he pirouetted between two players before hitting a shot from distance that cannoned against the crossbar. Spurs' best player on the night and almost had a goal to remember, although it still fired up the hosts and the crowd for their best spell of the match. 8

Rodrigo Bentancur

Sent a header on to the top of the crossbar from a Porro corner and headed the Spaniard's free-kick across the box for Van de Ven's late chance. Mostly did well with his covering and tackling. 7

James Maddison

Lost the ball in the sixth minute to set Frankfurt away on the break to score but teed up Porro's equaliser with a dribble and dangerous low cross. Tested the keeper with a low shot in the second half. Came off with 10 minutes to go. 7

Brennan Johnson

Struggled to make an impact in the first half but got into better positions in the second period and should have done better with a pass from Spence into the box which was similar to his first goal on Sunday. 4

Dominic Solanke

Played his part in Porro's goal with his run between the lines. Another game where he had little to work with as others got the chances. 5

Son Heung-min

Found Solanke's run in the build-up to Porro's leveller. Forced Santos into a flying save with a curling effort early in the second half but this was a night when the captain didn't really hit the heights. 5

Subs

Djed Spence

Teed up Johnson for a similar chance to the one he set him up for on Sunday. 6

Pape Matar Sarr

Tried to inject some energy in the final 10 minutes. 5

Mathys Tel

Looked to get forward in his cameo from the bench. 5

Richarlison

Replaced Solanke for the final minutes. N/A

Sinking Saints and preparing for Frankfurt - click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham

Ange Postecoglou has named the Tottenham Hotspur team that he believes can overcome Eintracht Frankfurt in their Europa League quarter-final first leg on Thursday night.

Spurs need to keep their season alive with a big performance in north London as they have spluttered in the Premier League and lie 14th in the table, despite having scored the second-highest amount of goals in the competition. The Europa League offers the final chance for Postecoglou and his players to salvage their campaign, but Frankfurt will be no pushovers, having dispatched Dutch giants Ajax with little fuss in the round of 16.

Postecoglou had a near full squad to choose from, with only Dejan Kulusevski, Kevin Danso and long-term absentee Radu Dragusin out.

The Tottenham head coach had decisions to make in various areas of the pitch, particularly in the full-back slots and he has gone for Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie with Djed Spence taking his turn on the bench. Up front, Brennan Johnson starts following his two goals against Southampton alongside Dominic Solanke and Son Heung-min.

Here's the team Postecoglou has selected for this Europa League quarter-final clash:

Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Bergvall, Bentancur, Maddison; Johnson, Solanke, Son. Subs: Austin, Whiteman, Spence, Davies, Gray, Sarr, Bissouma, Moore, Odobert, Richarlison, Tel.

Sinking Saints and preparing for Frankfurt - click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham

'Pressure is building on Ange'

Former Tottenham defender Alan Hutton has told NewBettingSites.uk that he believes Ange Postecoglou let pressure get the better of him during Spurs’ loss to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last week.

Postecoglou was seen cupping his ear to the away support before his side’s equaliser was ultimately chalked off by VAR and Hutton believes his behaviour on the sidelines was a show of the pressure that has been building on the Australian in recent months.

Hutton said: “Ange Postecoglou’s behaviour on the sideline against Chelsea wasn’t ideal. It’s not something you’d want to see your players doing, even less so your manager. I don’t think it’s a great look.

“The Tottenham fans are obviously frustrated, but he will be as well. He wants the team to be performing better, winning more games, finishing higher up in the Premier League and competing for trophies. In that moment, he was feeling the pressure and he just let go and let it out. Unfortunately for him, that is now what everybody, including the Tottenham fans, is talking about.

“He’s had a run-in with the fans before when they lost away at Fulham, so the pressure is building. That pressure told at Stamford Bridge and he just couldn’t keep it in. It’s certainly not an ideal scenario for him.”

Brand new Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham

Have some spare time ahead of this evening's game in north London?

Well, if so, the latest episode of football.london's Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham podcast is out now.

Spurs writers Alasdair Gold and Rob Guest are back to reflect on the 3-1 win over Southampton and debate all the big decisions heading into the Eintracht Frankfurt showdown.

You can listen to the podcast by clicking here or watch on YouTube right here.

Tottenham take on Eintracht Frankfurt in the first-leg of their Europa League quarter-final clash on Thursday night with Ange Postecoglou's men looking to keep their season alive.

After finishing fifth in the Premier League last term, Spurs have endured a disaster campaign this term. The north Londoners have won just 11 league games and lost 16 to leave them in 14th.

Fortunately, they have remained competitive in Europe and are just five games away from ending their trophy drought in Bilbao. On the flip side, they go into their last eight meeting with Frankfurt as the underdogs.

Dino Toppmoller's side are third in the Bundesliga table and despite losing Omar Marmoush in January to Manchester City, remain a serious threat. Tonight's clash is one of the biggest in Postecoglou's era at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with the next week huge in his future.

With that in mind, football.london takes a look at what the rules are on away goals in the Europa League...

Is there away goals in the Europa League?

No, away goals are no longer a regulation in the Europa League. The away goals rule in UEFA club competitions was outlawed in June 2021 following the recommendation of the UEFA Club Competitions Committee and the UEFA Women's Football Committee.

What was the away goals rule?

When applied, this rule was used to split two teams who were tied on aggregate after the culmination of two legs.

The team to progress to the next round would be the one who scored the most goals away from home. This coined the phrase of away goals 'counting as double' due to the significance of scoring at the opposition's stadium.

For example, if tonight's game ended 2-2, Frankfurt would have a significant advantage in the second-leg. It would mean that Spurs would have to win or draw 2-2, at the very least, to take it to extra-time.

Now, that is no longer the case and it is just a matter of the outcome of the aggregate score. If that score is level across 180 minutes, extra-time and possibly penalties will decide the winner of the tie.

Tottenham face the first of two season-defining games this evening as they welcome Eintracht Frankfurt to north London for their Europa League quarter-final first leg.

Ange Postecoglou and his players have endured a challenging campaign, so far, but they were able to build some momentum ahead of the clash by beating Southampton 3-1 on Sunday afternoon. Frankfurt, meanwhile, remained third in the Bundesliga despite a defeat away to Werder Bremen.

A place in the semi-finals against Lazio or Bodo/Glimt awaits while two of Manchester United, Lyon, Athletic Club and Rangers - on the opposite side of the bracket - will contest the other semi-final.

With all of that being said, football.london has got you covered with the details you need to know about how to follow the action.

When is Tottenham vs Eintracht Frankfurt and what time is kick-off?

Tottenham's Europa League quarter-final first leg against Eintracht Frankfurt is scheduled to kick-off at 8pm on Thursday, April 10, at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Is Tottenham vs Eintracht Frankfurt being shown live on TV in the UK?

Yes, TNT Sports will be broadcasting the game as part of their regular coverage of the Europa League.

Coverage will get underway at 7pm on TNT Sports 3 (or Sky channel 413) - one hour before the action begins.

If you're unable to watch, football.london will be on hand to provide build-up, regular updates throughout the game and all the reaction with everything able to be found here.

How can I live stream Tottenham vs Eintracht Frankfurt?

As part of their coverage of the fixture, TNT Sports will be live streaming Tottenham vs Frankfurt.

The match will also be live-streamed via TNT Sports mobile, which is available to paying customers.

Discovery+ is another place to take in the action with that service streaming the match in Germany, which will be available on their mobile and TV app to paid subscribers - as well as TNT Sports customers.

Sinking Saints and preparing for Frankfurt, click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham

Ange Postecoglou will be determined to get his hands on the UEFA Europa League after promising to deliver Tottenham Hotspur silverware this season. The 59-year-old raised eyebrows back in August when he insisted he always wins a trophy in his second campaign at a club.

"Usually in my second season I win things," he told Sky Sports. "That’s the whole idea. First year is about establishing principles and creating a foundation. Hopefully the second year is going onto win things.

"Of course it’s easier said than done, particularly in the Premier League and the competition we’re in. That’s always the way I’ve looked at it, is that the second year you should be in a position where you can push on, depending on how the first year has gone."

Postecoglou was asked to clarify his bold claim a month later after a shaky start to the season. He said: "Yeah absolutely. I’ll correct what I said. I don’t usually win things, I always win things in my second year, nothing’s changed. I’ve said it now, I don’t say things unless I believe it."

Not only is the Tottenham boss under pressure to stay true to his word, but his job could hinge on winning the Europa League. But first, Spurs must focus on getting past Eintracht Frankurt.

The Bundesliga outfit host the Lilywhites at the Deutsche Bank Park in the first leg of the quarterfinal on Thursday evening. So, with that being said, football.london has rounded up everything you need to know about Tottenham's road to Europa League glory.

Who could Tottenham play in the Europa League semi-final?

If Spurs manage to bypass Eintracht Frankfurt in the quarterfinals, they'll face Bodø/Glimt or Lazio in the semi-final. As it stands, UEFA plans to play the first leg of the semi-finals on Thursday, May 1, and the second on Thursday, May 8.

Should Tottenham reach the semi-finals, the first leg will be sandwiched by Premier League matches against Liverpool on Sunday, April 27, and West Ham on Saturday, May 3. The Hammers clash will move to Sunday, May 4, at 2pm if the Lilywhites make the semi-final.

Then, just hours after the second leg, the Lilywhites are set to play Crystal Palace on Saturday, May 10. Postecoglou's side haven't been afforded much time to recharge their batteries, but fixtures are subject to possible changes.

Who could Tottenham play in the Europa League final?

If Tottenham manage to reach the final, they'll face either Ranger, Athletic Bilbao, Olympique Lyonnais or Manchester United. As it stands, the match will be played on Wednesday, May 21, at the San Mames Stadium in Bilbao, Spain.

Should Spurs reach the Europa League final, it will be sandwiched by Premier League matches against Aston Villa on Sunday, May 18, and Brighton – the final game of the season – on Sunday, May 25. As aforementioned, fixtures are subject to possible changes as teams progress in the midweek UEFA club competitions.

When's the Europa League final?

The Europa League final will be played at 8pm (BST) on Wednesday, May 21, at the San Mames Stadium in Bilbao, Spain. As it stands, unlike the Champions League and the Conference League, this match will be played before the end of the Premier League season.

The former will be played on Saturday, May 31, and the latter will be played on Wednesday, May 28. As always, fixtures in the English top flight are subject to possible changes as teams progress in the midweek UEFA club competitions.

Eintracht Frankfurt will have twice as many players than Tottenham absent for their Europa League quarter-final first leg on Thursday evening.

Spurs have been hampered by injuries this season but Ange Postecoglou has finally seen those concerns lessen with Cristian Romero, Wilson Odobert and Richarlison all currently available after a challenging last few months for the trio.

Destiny Udogie and Micky van de Ven have also endured injury-riddled campaigns with both defenders left on the bench for Sunday's 3-1 Premier League win over Southampton at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

"Yeah Destiny and Micky are fine. They have missed a lot of football this year so it made sense to put them on ice today," explained Postecoglou this past weekend.

On Wednesday, he added: "Most of our guys now are in a position where they are not fatigued because they haven’t been overplayed but they have played enough and that has been really important for us. So we are in a good position from that point of view."

Richarlison returned to the matchday squad for the visit of the Saints but three players are still missing. Radu Dragusin has already been ruled out for the season while Dejan Kulusevski and Kevin Danso are dealing with minor issues that will keep the duo out of both legs.

"Kevin and Deki are working hard still," Postecoglou admitted earlier this month when asked about their respective hamstring and foot issues. "They’re probably a couple of weeks away, but both are progressing well."

As for Frankfurt, Dino Topppmoller looks set to be without some key players including striker Elye Wahi, the replacement for Omar Marmoush, and Ansgar Knauff. The latter was pushing to return but he has since been confirmed out for the first leg.

"Unfortunately, Ansgar Knauff isn’t quite ready," Topppmoller said on Wednesday.

"We’ve got a few ideas about how to replace him. We’ll find a solution-oriented option and play in a system that’s well-suited to the opposition.”

The 23-year-old is a key player for Frankfurt in attack having picked up three assists from his last four starts with two of those coming in the last-16 6-2 aggregate triumph over Ajax.

Can Uzun, Eric Ebimbe, Krisztian Lisztes, Timothy Chandler and experienced goalkeeper Kevin Trapp all missed the weekend defeat to Werder Bremen and it does not look as though any will return on Thursday.

Sinking Saints and preparing for Frankfurt, click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham

We are now only a matter of hours away from Tottenham's Europa League clash against Eintracht Frankfurt. Ange Postecoglou's side have home advantage in the first leg and they will be looking to make it count ahead of their trip to Germany next Thursday.

Tottenham have produced some strong performances in the competition so far and the hope will be that they can do the same again amid their current woes in the Premier League. There is so much riding on this evening's game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Postecoglou's future potentially hinging on whether Spurs win the trophy or not in Bilbao come the end of May.

Fresh from the win over Southampton last weekend, the head coach has a few selection calls to make before he makes the final decision on his Tottenham XI to face Eintracht Frankfurt. So who could potentially come into the team? football.london takes a look below.

Micky van de Ven for Ben Davies

Micky van de Ven was given a breather last Sunday against Southampton after starting the previous game at Chelsea. Postecoglou clearly doesn't want to push his player too much due to his recent injury issues and he did admit that it made sense to keep the Dutchman and Destiny Udogie on ice considering they have missed a lot of football this term.

Van de Ven looks a certainty to come into the team, taking his place alongside Cristian Romero as Ben Davies drops out.

Destiny Udogie for Pedro Porro/Djed Spence

Postecoglou faces a huge call in the the full-back positions as he has three excellent players fighting it out for two roles. Udogie should be in a good position to start given he didn't play last weekend but Pedro Porro delivered a big performance at right-back and Djed Spence also caught the eye.

That in turn gives the boss quite the headache. Udogie could take Spence's place at left-back or if he replaces Porro then the man in his position right now will shift across to the right.

Wilson Odobert for Brennan Johnson

Brennan Johnson should be in the driving seat to start on the right-wing against Eintracht Frankfurt after his double in the 3-1 win over Southampton. His confidence should be high and it also makes sense for Postecoglou to keep faith with someone who knows where the back of the net is heading into such a pivotal game.

Wilson Odobert is one option to come in and take Johnson's place, though. The Frenchman was a key figure in Spurs' last European match against AZ Alkmaar as his two goals on the night saw the team advance to the quarter-finals to set up a showdown with Eintracht Frankfurt.

Postecoglou didn't seem too pleased with Odobert's second-half cameo against Southampton at the weekend until he came to life in the final 10-15 minutes and played his part in the team winning a penalty. For that reason, he may find himself on the bench to begin with.

Sinking Saints and preparing for Frankfurt - click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham

The agent of Spurs defender Micky van de Ven has cast doubt over the defender's long-term future with the club, stating he could "one day play for a big club like Real Madrid".

Jose Fortes made the claim while discussing his trio of Dutch clients - the 23-year-old defender as well as Liverpool's Ryan Gravenberch and Bournemouth's Justin Kluivert.

Van de Ven has suffered a frustrating second season at Tottenham, being limited to just 11 Premier League outings thanks to seemingly mismanaged injuries.

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The player's Spanish agent believes these injury woes won't curtail Van de Ven's long-term progression with the player hoping to return to the impressive form that's made him a fan-favourite within the club.

"For my players, effort is non-negotiable," Fortes explained in an interview with the Spanish outlet, Marca.

"I wasn't a good footballer, but that's why I know how to help them. Micky fits this quality; he's a born worker. After his injury, he'll return to a high level, on par with any big club."

Fortes had previously worked under the stewardship of super agent Mino Raiola, who passed away in 2022, spearheading the Team Raiola agency.

The agent detailed how he secured his other client, Gravenberch's move away from Bayern Munich after growing frustrated at the lack of appearances with the Bundesliga giant.

He said: "He's [Gravenberch] good enough for Real Madrid. We would love for him to play for them, but Liverpool would ask for a lot of money. I know they've had their eye on him, but now it's impossible."

Fortes didn't stop there when discussing which of his players he could envisage playing at the Bernabéu, quickly adding Van de Ven into the mix.

"Micky also has the level to one day play for a big club like Real Madrid. Besides, Madrid needs a player with his talents at the back," he concluded.

Spurs currently reside in 14th in the Premier League, with their north London rivals, Arsenal, recently completing a 3-0 dismantling of European champions Real Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinal.

Despite a strong financial footing, the lack of on-field success at Tottenham may lead to the club's premium talents exploring other options in the summer.

So, the Spurs hierarchy may be weary of Fortes' willingness to flirt with European powerhouses like Madrid so close to the summer transfer window.