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The Czech leader will be a real test for the Bundesliga club. It’s good that coach Dino Toppmöller is spoiled for choice when it comes to personnel.
Frankfurt am Main – Nathaniel Brown, who recently took off quite vertically and landed very softly, can put his feet up on Thursday evening. Okay, that’s actually not what the 21-year-old professional footballer had in mind. He would much rather be standing on the field with his Eintracht comrades in the Europa League home game against Slavia Prague, but that’s just not possible. Because: Nathaniel Brown is not registered for the competition and did not make it into the squad for the international games at the beginning of September – and the squad includes at least 25 players.
Not an easy time for the left-back who came from Nuremberg, “it was difficult,” as he admits. But the man from Kümmersbruck did not allow himself to be fooled. And was rewarded, most recently with two starting eleven appearances and his first Bundesliga goal against Bochum, “a childhood dream”. If coach Dino Toppmöller had to make the decision again today, it would be different. But the break will be good for Brown; he hasn’t yet internalized the three-day rhythm.
Eintracht against Slavia Prague: Toppmöller has several options
Toppmöller will have to solve it differently on the left, that’s actually not a problem. He could give Niels Nkounkou another chance, but with the Frenchman you never know what will happen. These can be calm performances with tons of offensive actions – or just wild performances. That’s always a bit vague.
Or the coach entrusts Arthur Theate with the task of sealing the left side. The Belgian international can defend that, just like in the center. The 24-year-old is an outstanding defender, a 100 percent reinforcement – despite his two recent suspensions. But both the yellow-red card in Berlin and the red card against Mönchengladbach belong to the category of maximum unhappiness; they were not preceded by any brutal fouls. Theate will definitely return to the starting eleven.
Getting better and better at Eintracht: Mo Dahoud, goalscorer against Bochum. © IMAGO/Jan Huebner
Eintracht against Prague: Can Skhiri play again?
Thanks to the successful rotation in the 7-2 gala against VfL Bochum, Dino Toppmöller now has even more personnel options on the international stage. The coach can now change without any significant drop in quality. An expression of the increased level and a factor that should not be underestimated.
The football teacher gave Hugo Larsson and Mario Götze a creative break against the bottom team. Larsson played for a good quarter of an hour, Götze didn’t play at all. Both will almost certainly be in the first eleven against the Czechs on Thursday (6.45 p.m./RTL+). Maybe Eric Dina Ebimbe, who was also placed on the bench against Bochum. There is no reason to take Ansgar Knauff out of the team – unless Toppmöller wants him fresh for the equally important game in Stuttgart on Sunday.
The question will also be whether Ellyes Skhiri will be able to defend his place in defensive midfield. The Tunisian’s form curve is clearly pointing upwards. There is definitely one reason for this: the 29-year-old is now playing again without the annoying face mask, which protected the broken cheekbone but hindered the player.
Eintracht star Dahoud is getting up to speed
But Mo Dahoud has also left his mark in this position. The last-minute access, which for many was a kind of emergency solution, quickly fell into place, was accepted and felt right at home. The technician, who came from Brighton & Hove Albion, scored his first goal for Eintracht against Bochum and also set up another goal for Hugo Ekitiké with a fine pass. The trade magazine “Kicker” promptly named the 28-year-old in the team of the day.
“He hasn’t played much in the last year and a half, but he’s getting better and better now,” says sports director Markus Krösche. Dahoud is an “extraordinary player, beyond any doubt in terms of football”. Small drawback: Every now and then he lets himself fall too low. However, he can become an important element against barricading opponents thanks to his game intelligence, his technique and his feeling for space.
Frankfurt expects a strong and robust team
But Thursday’s opponent is not known for barricading themselves in front of their own goal. Quite the opposite. Slavia is a strong, robust team that likes to have the ball and dominates the Czech league. Out of 13 games, the Prague team won eleven and lost none, they are undisputed at the top – already eight points ahead of Viktoria Plzen, who were also Eintracht’s opponents in the Europa League and got a lucky 3-3 draw in Frankfurt.
But Slavia is a different caliber, a big chunk, Eintracht should be warned. The Czechs have picked up four points on the international stage so far, most recently losing 0-1 in Bilbao. But most unfortunately, in Spain they were clearly superior, had more shots on goal and almost 65 percent possession of the ball. That in turn could play into the hands of Frankfurt’s strong counterattacking team with their skyscrapers Omar Marmoush and Hugo Ekitiké. That’s why the probability that the magic duo will appear together is relatively high.
