Tottenham vs Eintracht Frankfurt: Meet Spurs’ Europa League quarter-final opponents who can finish their season | Soccer Information

A World Cup winner, a possible Premier League striker and the quickest Bundesliga participant in historical past are all a part of an Eintracht Frankfurt aspect aiming to finish Tottenham’s season.

The 2 golf equipment meet within the Europa League quarter-finals with Spurs internet hosting the German crew on Thursday for the primary leg on the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, earlier than the second leg at Deutsche Financial institution Park on April 17.

Tottenham’s hopes of saving their season by lifting the Europa League in Bilbao on Might 21 now hinge on a last-eight tie towards the Bundesliga’s third-placed aspect, who misplaced their star participant Omar Marmoush in January following a £63.2m transfer to Manchester Metropolis.

Sky Sports activities talks to Sky in Germany’s Eintracht Frankfurt reporter Dennis Bayer to provide us the lowdown on the 2022 Europa League winners, who’ve an ex-Chelsea striker out to hang-out Spurs…

‘Reinvented Gotze enjoying quarterback position at Frankfurt’

Mario Gotze, who famously scored Germany’s World Cup-winning purpose in 2014, pulls the strings for Frankfurt, and the 32-year-old is vastly skilled, having made greater than 300 Bundesliga appearances and performed 119 video games in European competitors.

DB: “Mario Gotze has developed particularly effectively within the final month, and he is turning into extra of a core participant for them.

“He hasn’t simply rediscovered himself, he is reinvented himself. If you happen to have a look at the younger Mario Gotze, when he was at Borussia Dortmund, he was among the best gamers on this planet. He was quick, he may dribble, he may shoot, and he had nice imaginative and prescient and intelligence.

“Then he moved to Bayern Munich and his profession took slightly slide, as a result of he did not actually slot in there. He did not have a giant harm, however he had some well being issues [a metabolic disorder] so he was off the radar.

“Then he moved to PSV Eindhoven, and there he grew to become a distinct Mario Gotze, as a result of he isn’t that explosive, not that quick anymore.

“And now at Frankfurt, he is like a quarterback. He is enjoying slightly extra defensively than he did on the prime of his profession, however he nonetheless has excellent imaginative and prescient and the power to scan the whole lot that is occurring on the sphere, so he assists and begins the offensive actions for the crew. He is not the one anymore who does the highlight-reel stuff, however he is nice for giving their recreation construction. He is the mind of the crew.”

PL goal Ekitike ‘among the best Bundesliga gamers’

Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike is reportedly of curiosity to Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester Metropolis, and he’ll need to show towards Spurs that he can minimize it towards Premier League opposition.

The 22-year-old Frenchman, who was as soon as a Newcastle goal, has scored 19 objectives and offered eight assists in all competitions this season, so will he comply with Marmoush in transferring to the English prime flight this summer time?

DB: “Ekitike’s nice. He is among the best gamers within the Bundesliga as a result of he is actually quick, he is tall, and superb technically with the ball, in order that makes him a weapon. He is the one Spurs have to comprise offensively to cease Frankfurt.

“The hyperlinks to Premier League golf equipment are undoubtedly there. I do not know precisely the place he’ll go however Frankfurt are fairly certain that he’ll depart on the finish of the season.

“I believe Ekitike has the whole lot to play for a prime Bundesliga membership. However he isn’t a coaching monster, in order that could possibly be a problem for a Premier League membership. He is additionally not probably the most highly effective man, though he is athletic regardless of being slightly skinny.

“However I believe along with his talents, his velocity and his ending, he may undoubtedly play a giant position within the Premier League.”

Frankfurt have quickest Bundesliga participant in historical past

If Gotze’s imaginative and prescient and Ekitike’s high quality fail to harm Spurs, then Frankfurt possess one other weapon in Jean-Matteo Bahoya, who’s the quickest participant in Bundesliga historical past. Final month, the 19-year-old clocked up a velocity of 23.09mph – watch his record-breaking tempo under.

DB: “One of many hottest gamers proper now’s Jean-Matteo Bahoya. He joined a 12 months and a half in the past from the French second tier for €8m (£6.8m), however then he did not play that a lot.

“This season, nonetheless, he is creating very quick and scored his first two objectives for Frankfurt. He additionally grew to become the primary Bundesliga participant to clock over 37km/h (23mph).

“He is a right-winger, and he is the man to look out for. He does not have a excessive buzz round him, however he could possibly be the subsequent actually good man from Frankfurt.

“One in every of Frankfurt’s greatest strengths are counter-attacks as a result of they’ve these quick gamers.

“Once they introduced in boss Dino Toppmoller they needed to develop extra of a possession-based method, they usually tried to implement that final season, nevertheless it did not work out that effectively.

“Now they’ve gone again to being that high-speed crew and since then they have been an increasing number of harmful.”

Might an ex-Chelsea striker hang-out Spurs?

A participant at Frankfurt who has performed within the Premier League is Michy Batshuayi. The previous Chelsea and Crystal Palace striker joined Frankfurt within the winter switch window from Galatasaray, and the 31-year-old Belgium worldwide has scored two objectives in seven appearances throughout all competitions.

DB: “Batshuayi was a Marmoush alternative as a participant that might slot in straight away.

“They’re form of pleased with him as a result of they did not assume that he would are available and rating 15 objectives within the second half of the season – he is a rotational participant coming in, not a core participant for them.

“He is giving them some physicality and a few presence within the field. He provides a distinct element to the offensive recreation as a result of he is slightly extra highly effective. He can hold the balls and maintain it for a couple of seconds till the remainder of the crew involves him.”

However there’s additionally the potential for Frankfurt to be stung by Tottenham ahead Mathys Tel, whom they focused in January earlier than the Bayern Munich teenager joined Spurs on mortgage.

DB: “Frankfurt needed to convey Mathys Tel in as a alternative for Marmoush. In an interview with Toppmoller final week, he was very open about that, and he confirmed that he likes him.

“Toppmoller additionally skilled him when he was the assistant at Bayern a couple of years in the past. He needed to convey him to Frankfurt, however they could not handle to do it.”

‘Spurs face among the best atmospheres in Germany’

A red-hot 58,000-capacity Deutsche Financial institution Park awaits Tottenham for subsequent Thursday’s second leg in Germany, so will that show to be the graveyard for Spurs’ season?

DB: “It is among the best and most fired-up atmospheres in Germany. If Tottenham are usually not good at dealing with such atmospheres, it will be a possibility for Toppmoller’s aspect.

“Frankfurt are on the up. If they will play at their highest degree, they’ve a bonus, and I’d say Frankfurt will transfer into the semis.

“However they don’t seem to be as constant as within the first half of the season, in order that could possibly be a think about Frankfurt which we’ll see. However I’d say that they’ve the benefit.”