Tottenham Hotspur will aim to return to winning ways when they travel to Germany to take on Eintracht Frankfurt in the UEFA Champions League.
Tottenham Hotspur will try to regroup themselves following their exhausting loss in the North London Derby, and Antonio Conte will want some instant reaction from his charges when they face Eintracht Frankfurt on Tuesday night.
Spurs got battered by Arsenal in their most recent match in the Premier League as they suffered their first defeat in the top flight. Harry Kane scored for Tottenham, while Thomas Partey, Gabriel Jesus and Granit Xhaka were on the score sheet as the Gunners humiliated their North London rivals.
On the other hand, Eintracht Frankfurt have endured a mixed start to their season. The German outfit defeated table toppers Union Berlin in their last Bundesliga game to sound a severe warning to the visiting side.
Eintracht Frankfurt have lost one and won one game thus far in the UEFA Champions League and would be looking to hand Tottenham their second defeat in the continental competition. The hosts defeated Rangers in the UEFA Europa League final earlier this year, earning the licence to feature in the Champions League.
Tottenham could not get past Sporting Lisbon in their last Champions League encounter as a hapless display ended with a 2-0 defeat. And they must pick themselves up as a number of important fixtures are lining up ahead. They are in a tricky situation, and a positive outcome on Tuesday might relieve them from having additional stress in the next group stage games.
On the other side, Eintracht Frankfurt have somewhat galvanised their position and are currently on a three-match winning run in all competitions. They might fancy a historical win over Spurs, but their home form is not something to rave about.
Their fortress has already been breached three times this season, and Tottenham do have the capability to wreak havoc on their opponents. This will be their first competitive meeting since the 1981/82 Cup Winners’ Cup quarter-final.
Team News & Tactics
Eintracht Frankfurt
Einsatz 🔝
Stimmung 🔝
Fokus 🔛#SGEuropa | #UCL | #SGETOT pic.twitter.com/cCBCYwXtAm— Eintracht Frankfurt (@Eintracht) October 3, 2022
Eintracht Frankfurt do not have any fresh injury concerns, but Kristijan Jakic will not be fit in time as the Croatian midfielder came back with an injury following the conclusion of the international break.
New entrant Jerome Onguene is still struggling with an injury, and he will have to wait to make his first Eintracht Frankfurt appearance this season. Apart from this, Die Adler are pretty much well stocked, and Tottenham can expect a fierce contest.
Kevin Trapp has been an ever present in the Eintracht Franfurt goal, and he will have a lot of work against Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and others. Veteran defender Makoto Hasebe will be up in the backline alongside Evan Ndicka and Tuta. Ansgar Knauff and Christopher Lenz will try to widen the flank from the right and left wing-back positions, respectively.
Djibril Sow and Sebastian Rode will be dealing with the midfield issues, and the midfielders will be tasked to keep their Tottenham counterparts quiet throughout the game. Daichi Kamada and Jesper Lindstorm will be in further advanced roles, and the attacking midfield duo will look to enter the Tottenham backline on a regular basis. Finally, Randal Kolo Muani will lead the line for Eintracht Frankfurt.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Trapp; Tuta, Hasebe, Ndicka; Knauff, Rode, Sow, Lenz; Kamada, Lindstrom; Kolo Muani
Tottenham Hotspur
Antonio Conte might ring in a few changes to alter his plans against the UEFA Europa League champions. Ben Davies, Lucas Moura and Dejan Kulusevski are not in contention to feature in this game.
Hugo Lloris will take his usual spot between the sticks, with Tottenham lining up in a 3-4-3 formation in front of him. Davinson Sanchez will likely come in to the side to replace Clement Lenglet, and the 26-year-old will assist Eric Dier and Cristian Romero at the heart of the Tottenham defence.
Preparing for the #UCL ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/bkyUH8yYfb
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) October 3, 2022
Ryan Sessegnon will be stationed in the left wing-back position, while Emerson Royal will be the right wing-back, despite a forgettable outing against Arsenal. Rodrigo Bentancur might find a new partner in Yves Bissouma, who will try to form a new partnership in the middle of the pitch.
Richarlison will have another go from the right-hand side, while Son Heung-min will be the left winger in this match. Harry Kane converted a penalty against Arsenal and will try to find the scoresheet once again versus Eintracht Frankfurt.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Lloris; Romero, Sanchez, Dier; Emerson, Bissouma, Bentancur, Sessegnon; Richarlison, Kane, Son
Key Stats
- Tuesday’s clash will be the first European meeting between Eintracht Frankfurt and Tottenham Hotspur since the quarter-final of the 1981/82 Cup Winners’ Cup, with Spurs winning 3-2 on aggregate.
- Tottenham Hotspur have lost their last four UEFA Champions League matches against German opposition by an aggregate score of 14-3, losing twice to Bayern Munich (2-7 and 1-3) and twice to RB Leipzig (0-1 and 0-3).
- Eintracht Frankfurt have won their last three European games against English teams (one vs Arsenal, two vs West Ham United), as many as in their first 14 such games (W3 D5 L6).
- Tottenham have lost four of their last five UEFA Champions League matches (W1), as many as in their previous 16 games combined (W9 D3 L4). They have also lost their last three away games in the competition, against Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig in 2019/20 and Sporting CP in their most recent outing.
- Harry Kane has scored in all four of his UEFA Champions League appearances against German opponents, netting five goals (four in three vs Borussia Dortmund, one in one vs Bayern Munich). He has more goals against teams from Germany than any other nation.
Player to Watch
Harry Kane
Harry Kane has found his scoring boots in the Premier League, but the English striker has not opened his account in the UEFA Champions League. He needs to deliver the goods to lift the morale of the North Londoners after a disappointing evening at the Emirates. Expect the Tottenham talisman to do the heavy lifting this week.
Prediction
Eintracht Frankfurt 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham will have more urgency as the North Londoners would want to ensure their smooth progress to the next stage, and a win will ease their burden. Antonio Conte will unleash his strongest team to get the job done in Germany.
But Tottenham cannot take Eintracht Frankfurt lightly, considering the hosts’ exploits in Europe in the past year. The Hard Tackle predicts a largely evenly-contested affair that might end with Tottenham taking the three points by the odd goal in three.
