London (AP) – Too bad about the Bundesliga bottom, but good enough for an internationally prominent team around world-class Harry Kane? If you follow the logic of Eintracht Frankfurt in the crazy 2022 European Cup winner, Tottenham Hotspur comes in handy in the Champions League. “We have to learn our lesson from this,” said sporting director Markus Krösche after the 0: 3 clear at VfL Bochum, who had not won so far. Now we leave for London on Wednesday (9pm / DAZN), where a good starting position should be created for the round of 16 at the premier class premiere.
We believe in our possibilities in this group and we will give everything. We will also play bravely at Tottenham and try to bring something with us, ”said captain Sebastian Rode before the showdown at the ultra-modern Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The starting position in the group is completely open: Sporting Lisbon have six points, Tottenham and Eintracht four, Olympique Marseille three points.
An away shot would be a big step towards the round of 16, because not only does it take the Londoners three points away from Kane and Brazil forward Richarlison, but it also wins the direct confrontation. “The group is very balanced, everything is possible. In the end, direct comparisons might matter. To win against Tottenham, we want to score three points in London, ”said coach Oliver Glasner, served after Bochum’s defeat.
But this year, a failed dress rehearsal often bodes well for an even bigger show on the international stage. Before their two memorable games against FC Barcelona, they missed home games against relegated Fürth and Freiburg, but that never affected their competitiveness in the Europa League. So it should be in the premier class, when London becomes Eintracht destination for the third time in the recent past after 2019 (semi-finals at Chelsea) and this spring (semi-finals at West Ham).
Not only Glasner’s side, in which striker Randal Kolo Muani and veteran Makoto Hasebe are likely to return to the starting lineup, are put to the test in the British metropolis, but also the fans, who return en masse to London. . Images of the violent riots in Marseille remained frozen, Eintracht had to accept a fine and two suspensions for one year on probation.
“It was like a civil war,” said club president Peter Fischer, describing the scenes from his first appearance as a guest of the Champions League in France. “I could never have imagined such a thing.” His own block had been “shot at,” he said, looking at the numerous banned firecrackers that had been lit. “Of course there was also some misconduct on our part,” admitted Fischer.
As part of the August Super Cup in Helsinki, club boss Fischer reported talks with UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, who threatened to play ghost matches if there was any further misconduct. Regardless of the outcome of the match against Tottenham, the Frankfurters want to avoid having to do without their fans in one of their last two games against Marseille (26 October) or Sporting (1 November).
