The first task for Eintracht Frankfurt in the Conference League group phase is: to break FC Aberdeen’s defense. Coach Dino Toppmöller wants to rely on captain Sebastian Rode again and not take the opponent lightly.
Only older football fans will be able to remember the last meeting between Eintracht Frankfurt and FC Aberdeen. That took place on October 3, 1979, almost 44 years ago (final score at the time: 1-0 for the SGE).
On Thursday (6.45 p.m., live on hr-iNFO and in the audio stream on hessenschau.de) there will be the next duel between the Hessians and the Scots. It is the first group game of the Conference League for both teams and for Dino Toppmöller the opportunity to “start this competition appropriately”.
“We have to break this bar”
The Eintracht coach explicitly means: with a win. During his remarks at the press conference on Wednesday, it was clear that Toppmöller was sharing his knowledge about the rather unknown team from the Scottish port city has recently refreshed himself and warns: “There is no reason to underestimate your opponent. For me it is always important that you approach every task with respect and humility.”
Toppmöller expects Aberdeen to operate in a 3-5-2 system. With a “very well-positioned defensive three-man chain,” said the Frankfurt coach. Only last Saturday he and his team faced a similar task, as Bochum also stood deep and relied on the aforementioned three-man chain.
With success: Eintracht only had eight shots on goal over 90 minutes (for comparison: Bochum had 22). Also because the Frankfurters There are currently not enough solutions to be found, especially in the last third. Toppmöller is also aware of this and summarizes the task against the Scottish defensive bulwark with the words: “We have to break this bar.”
Deployment guarantee for recovered Rode
It will help the Hessians that almost all players are fit. Only Kristijan Jakic is out due to knee problems. Captain Sebastian Rode is healthy again and receives – with reservations – a commitment guarantee from the coach: “I will talk to him again and if he is fit, he will be in the starting line-up,” announced Toppmöller and at the same time is happy that he is up Rode can build again: “I like having Sebastian on the pitch as captain and leading figure at the first European home game. He is always extremely good for the team.”
Eintracht can currently use a wake-up call, which Rode has often provided in the past, because in the league they were only able to record three draws against comparably weaker opponents (Mainz, Cologne and Bochum).
“We didn’t get off to an optimal start in the league,” Kevin Trapp admitted at the press conference on Wednesday. It would still take time for the team to settle in after the major personnel changes during the summer break. Patience is required. “It won’t always be easy, but we’re on the right track,” says Trapp.
This is how Eintracht could start against Aberdeen.
“We are the clear favorites”
Nevertheless, the route is clear, especially for the Conference League: Eintracht wants to take this “new competition seriously. It offers the opportunity to win a title. That is the goal,” said Trapp confidently. On the way there, the home game against FC Aberdeen will be the first step in which Toppmöller is aware that his team is “the clear favorite”. On Thursday evening we have to prove this under the floodlights of the sold-out Waldstadion.
