Tottenham vs Eintracht Frankfurt: Meet Spurs’...

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 group 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 present us the lowdown on the 2022 Europa League winners, who’ve an ex-Chelsea striker out to hang-out Spurs…

‘Reinvented Gotze taking part in quarterback position at Frankfurt’

Mario Gotze, who famously scored Germany’s World Cup-winning objective 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 changing into extra of a core participant for them.

“He hasn’t simply rediscovered himself, he is reinvented himself. In the event you have a look at the younger Mario Gotze, when he was at Borussia Dortmund, he was among the finest gamers on the 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 somewhat 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 is not that explosive, not that quick anymore.

“And now at Frankfurt, he is like a quarterback. He is taking part in somewhat extra defensively than he did on the prime of his profession, however he nonetheless has excellent imaginative and prescient and the power to scan all the things that is occurring on the sphere, so he assists and begins the offensive actions for the group. He isn’t the one anymore who does the highlight-reel stuff, however he is nice for giving their sport construction. He is the mind of the group.”

PL goal Ekitike ‘among the finest 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 supplied eight assists in all competitions this season, so will he observe Marmoush in transferring to the English high flight this summer season?

DB: “Ekitike’s nice. He is among the finest 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 positively there. I do not know precisely the place he’ll go however Frankfurt are fairly certain that he’ll go away on the finish of the season.

“I feel Ekitike has all the things to play for a high Bundesliga membership. However he is not a coaching monster, in order that might be a difficulty for a Premier League membership. He is additionally not probably the most highly effective man, though he is athletic regardless of being somewhat skinny.

“However I feel along with his skills, his pace and his ending, he may positively 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 pace of 23.09mph – watch his record-breaking tempo beneath.

DB: “One of many hottest gamers proper now’s Jean-Matteo Bahoya. He joined a yr 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, nevertheless, he is growing 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 might be the following 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 wished to develop extra of a possession-based strategy, and so they tried to implement that final season, however it did not work out that effectively.

“Now they’ve gone again to being that high-speed group and since then they have been increasingly harmful.”

May 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 substitute as a participant that might slot in immediately.

“They’re type of proud of 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 part to the offensive sport as a result of he is somewhat extra highly effective. He can hold the balls and maintain it for a number of seconds till the remainder of the group 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 wished to carry Mathys Tel in as a substitute 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 number of years in the past. He wished to carry him to Frankfurt, however they could not handle to do it.”

‘Spurs face among the finest 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 finest and most fired-up atmospheres in Germany. If Tottenham aren’t good at dealing with such atmospheres, it should be a chance 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 are not as constant as within the first half of the season, in order that might be a think about Frankfurt which we’ll see. However I’d say that they’ve the benefit.”