Eintracht Frankfurt vs Tottenham Hotspur

A place in the Europa League semi-finals is up for grabs as Eintracht Frankfurt and Tottenham Hotspur go head-to-head in the return leg of their evenly-poised quarter-final tie (1-1) at Deutsche Bank Park.

Eintracht Frankfurt thrashed Bundesliga minnows Heidenheim 3-0 at the weekend to extend their winning streak at Deutsche Bank Park to three games, setting themselves up perfectly for this fixture. A four-game winning streak at this stadium in the Europa League, bookended by a 4-1 rout of Ajax in the previous knockout round, adds to Frankfurt’s confidence. However, half of their eight home encounters against Premier League opposition have ended level, suggesting extra time or penalties could be on the cards. Dino Toppmoller’s side can draw confidence from winning both home games ‘to nil’ after March’s international break, which has been the case in three of their last four Europa League home victories. Defensive solidity could be key to Frankfurt’s success, considering they’ve failed to score more than once in three of their four competitive outings since late March.

On the other hand, Tottenham will be out to lock down a place in a European semi-final for the first time since reaching the 2018/19 Champions League showpiece and atone for a dreadful 4-2 defeat at Premier League strugglers Wolverhampton last weekend. However, Spurs have only negotiated one UEFA two-legged tie after failing to win the first leg on home turf, highlighting the magnitude of the task awaiting them in Germany. Furthermore, the London giants have suffered six defeats in their last seven European knockout matches away to Bundesliga clubs (W1). Under-pressure boss Ange Postecoglou must find a cure for Spurs’ travel sickness to buck that trend, with Tottenham losing six of their last seven competitive games on the road (W1).