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Match preview for Tottenham v Frankfurt
Tottenham head into their most pivotal match of the season so far as they welcome German side Frankfurt to North London for the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final clash on Thursday night.
Ange Postecoglou has faced increasing scrutiny recently, with questions over his future gaining even more traction after the recent defeat to Chelsea.
Spurs did secure a 3-1 win over already-relegated Southampton at the weekend, though it did little to mend the rift between the manager and some of the fanbase.
However, a convincing performance against Frankfurt could go a long way in restoring faith.
This is Spurs’ first European quarter-final since their iconic 2019 run when they eliminated Manchester City on away goals in a Champions League classic.
But historically, Tottenham have struggled at this stage of European competition, winning just one of their previous 13 quarter-final ties.
They last faced Frankfurt in the Champions League group stage during the 2022-23 campaign, but the only previous knockout meeting came in the 1981-82 Cup Winners’ Cup, where Tottenham edged the Germans 3-2 on aggregate.
Quarter-finals up next 👊 pic.twitter.com/MEKmQj69I2
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) April 9, 2025
Frankfurt are no strangers to this stage of the Europa League. This marks their third quarter-final appearance in six seasons.
Historically, they’ve progressed from this round even without winning the first leg – famously eliminating Barcelona at the Nou Camp in 2022 en route to lifting the trophy.
They were dominant in the Round of 16, hammering Ajax 6-1 on aggregate, although they’ve looked less threatening since Omar Marmoush left for Manchester City in January.
Recent results have been inconsistent, with just five wins in their last 13 games, including a 2-0 weekend loss to Werder Bremen. Still, they remain third in the Bundesliga table and will fancy their chances against a poor Spurs side.
Team news for Tottenham v Frankfurt
Tottenham will be without Dejan Kulusevski and Kevin Danso for at least the next two weeks, ruling them out of both legs. Radu Dragusin is done for the season due to an ACL injury.
Timo Werner is ineligible for the tie as he wasn’t registered for European competition, but Richarlison might return to action after recovering from injury.
Our 23-man traveling squad for #TOTSGE 🦅#SGE | #UEL pic.twitter.com/iQD2sxUfFJ
— Eintracht Frankfurt (@eintracht_eng) April 9, 2025
Rodrigo Bentancur is back after serving a suspension, and both Micky van de Ven and Destiny Udogie were rested over the weekend in preparation for Thursday.
For Frankfurt, Nnamdi Collins is back from suspension, but first-choice goalkeeper Kevin Trapp remains sidelined. With Jens Grahl also unregistered, youngster Kaua Santos may once again get the nod between the posts.
Oscar Hojlund and Junior Dina Ebimbe are both unavailable due to registration issues. Ansgar Knauff and Elye Wahi are nursing injuries, while Igor Matanovic returned at the weekend.
Can Uzun could be back following illness, but Timothy Chandler remains out with a hamstring injury.
Expected line-ups for Tottenham v Frankfurt
Tottenham: Vicario; Pedro Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Bergvall, Maddison, Bentancur; Johnson, Solanke, Son
Frankfurt: Kaua Santos; Kristensen, Theate, Koch, Brown; Shkiri, Larsson, Tuta; Gotze, Ekitike, Bahoya
How to watch Tottenham v Frankfurt: TV channel, online stream
Tottenham v Frankfurt will kick-off at 8pm on Thursday night and is available to watch on TNT Sports 3. Fans in the UK can also stream the match on the discovery+ app.
The stats for Tottenham v Frankfurt
- Tottenham have won 8 of the last 10 home matches in the Europa League
- Tottenham have won 3 of the last 4 matches in the Europa League while scoring more than 2.5 goals
- In the last 3 Tottenham home matches in the Europa League, the number of goals was over 2.5
- In 7 of the last 8 Eintracht Frankfurt matches the number of goals was over 2.5
- Eintracht Frankfurt have won 6 of the last 8 away matches in the Europa League
- In the last 3 Eintracht Frankfurt away matches the number of goals was over 2.5
Prediction
Tottenham have saved some of their best performances for the Europa League this season and Postecoglou knows how vital a strong first-leg showing is to ease the growing pressure around him.
Frankfurt’s pedigree in this competition is undeniable, and they’ve proven their ability to succeed in difficult away fixtures, just take a look at how they dismantled Ajax.
However, their recent form – particularly after Marmoush’s departure – has dipped slightly, meaning there may be an opportunity for Spurs to do some damage.
Prediction: Tottenham 1-1 Frankfurt
