Champions League: Make or Break for Tottenham and Frankfurt

Tottenham Hotspur vs Eintracht Frankfurt

The top two spots in Group D of the Champions League remain up for grabs, so this match between Tottenham and Eintracht Frankfurt is going to be a crucial one.

A win by either side is going to be important for their hopes of advancing to the knockout stages since it’s getting pretty tight here in this group.

Sporting are leading the pack with six points, while Tottenham and Eintracht Frankfurt have four points apiece and Marseille round out the group with three.

Tottenham and Eintracht Frankfurt settled for a goalless draw last week and we might see a similar result. However, with the scene shifting to North London, the pre-match SBOTOP betting odds are backing Spurs to take all three points on Wednesday evening.

Talking Points

Tottenham to miss key personnel

Tottenham have a few injury concerns, mostly revolving around their attacking corps.

Dejan Kulusevski and Lucas Moura are both unlikely to play against Eintracht Frankfurt since they’re nursing their hamstring and calf injuries, while Harry Kane – who scored the winning goal against Brighton in the first half – was taken off as he was dealing with an ankle knock.

Kane allayed fitness concerns, saying that leaving the pitch late was merely for precautionary purposes. Nonetheless, they should err on the side of caution with him since he’s their top scorer with eight goals and one assist.

The English hitman is going to be accompanied once more by Heung-Min Son and Richarlison, who have combined for five goals and four assists thus far and are capable of producing more Champions League 2022 highlights.

Moreover, Japhet Tanganga is still ruled out since he’s also dealing with fitness issues. The good news, though, is that Emerson Royal is available for selection since his three-match ban is only applicable in the Premier League.

Tottenham were devastated following the passing of their popular assistant coach Gian Piero Ventrone recently, so they’ll be looking to give him a fitting tribute with another win on Wednesday.

Eintracht Frankfurt fresh from a setback

Die Adler saw their unbeaten streak halted by VfL Bochum on Saturday and it was a timely wake-up call for Oliver Glasner and co.

Eintracht Frankfurt aren’t immune to inconsistency, and they’ve been that way in the past few weeks. However, they’re still in good shape since they’re at eighth in the Bundesliga table and are in contention to move on to the knockout rounds in the Champions League, especially with a win here.

The return of Randal Kolo Muani would surely help Die Adler since he is their top playmaker with five assists. The 23-year-old Frenchman missed their previous game since he was sent off against Union Berlin, but his ban isn’t applicable here in the Champions League.

Daichi Kamada is also likely to return in the starting XI after being dropped to the bench against VfL Bochum in favour of Lucas Alario and Rafael Borre. The Japanese international is their top attacking threat with four goals and two assists.

History

This is going to be the fourth meeting between Tottenham and Eintracht Frankfurt, with both teams having one win each along with two draws.

Spurs are winless in their last five games against German opposition in the Champions League (D1, L4) after winning four consecutive games against Borussia Dortmund between 2017 and 2019 prior to this run.

Die Adler have won in their last two visits to face English sides in European competition. In the Europa League, they beat Arsenal 2-1 in November 2019 and 2-1 against West Ham United in April 2022.

Eintracht Frankfurt’s 1-0 victory over Marseille last month was their first away win in the Champions League. No Bundesliga side has ever won their first two away matches in this tournament.

Meanwhile, Tottenham have won nine of their last 11 home games in the Champions League group stage (L2), including each of their last three under Mauricio Pochettino (5-0 vs Red Star Belgrade), Jose Mourinho (4-2 vs Olympiakos), and Antonio Conte (2-0 vs Marseille).

Betting Tip

Tottenham have the edge in the Champions League 2022 odds as they are priced at 1.52 to win, while Eintracht Frankfurt are pegged at 5.40 and chances for another draw are priced at 4.40 in the 1X2 market.

But overall, we’re leaning towards going for Under 2.75 @ 1.95 since this is likely to be another grinded-out affair. Fatigue will also play a key role, so this is going to be a matter of who wants it more.

 

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