Before the guest game at HJK Helsinki, Eintracht Frankfurt once again feels that the Conference League is not a feel-good competition and is struggling with all sorts of adversities. The fans are trying to create a European Cup atmosphere.
When landing in Helsinki, some Eintracht Frankfurt fans really tried hard on Wednesday. At the pilot’s request and fueled by an on-board announcement and a few whiskey and cola mixtures, the back rows of the fully occupied plane performed Frankfurt’s most famous European Cup hit and sang “European Cup this year”.
The fan song that had reverberated through Barcelona, Seville and London in recent years and had acoustically taken over entire city centers had an effect the day before Conference League group game in Helsinki but just like a nice try. The neutral passengers shook their heads in amazement, some even spoke of a failure. A short time later everything was quiet again. Unity in Europe has felt different.
Eintracht puts blinders on
An impression that was also confirmed on site. The 10,770-seat HJK Helsinki stadium, which is located exactly between the much larger Olympic Stadium and some prefab-like residential buildings, exudes charm and is likely to make the hearts of groundhoppers beat faster. After games at Camp Nou, at Tottenham Hotspur or at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Eintracht also senses that the Conference League no longer has much in common with the glamorous international football of previous years. There used to be more high gloss.
Now it’s not as if Eintracht and their fans don’t appreciate trips to smaller European cities. Especially in Helsinki it becomes very clear that the Hessians have to achieve a lot physically and mentally. “I expect us to approach the task with concentration and have maximum respect for the opponent,” said coach Dino Toppmöller, summarizing what he saw as the most important points. The 6-0 win in their own stadium should not play a role, nor should any external factors, he emphasized. “We have to block this out.” Eintracht is trying to keep the tension high.
Artificial turf introduces Eintracht Challenge
What makes matters worse is that the game on Thursday evening (6.45 p.m., live in the ticker and audio stream at sportschau.de) will not take place on real turf, but on artificial turf. Since the winters in Helsinki are long and icy – which Eintracht will also start to feel the effects of – the HJK traditionally plays its home games on a carpet. A short inspection on Wednesday evening showed that the playing field is wet and difficult to assess, and the granules are likely to be an unpleasant factor, especially when tackling tackles. Lots of new things in the north, a Wimbledon lawn definitely looks different.
“I only know this from my youth. The ball rolls differently, bounces differently, is faster when the grass is wet,” said Ansgar Knauff, summarizing the expected difficulties. In order to avoid any unpleasant surprises, Eintracht even moved the final training session to the stadium, contrary to their usual practice, and tested cautiously on Wednesday evening. A few passing exercises here, a few long balls there. “We have to get used to it,” said Knauff. “We have to know what to expect.” Crucial here too: the right feeling.
The defensive bulwark is crumbling
In addition to all the external circumstances, there were also personnel problems at Eintracht on Wednesday. In addition to Tuta, who was ruled out anyway due to a shoulder injury, defense chief Robin Koch also signed out at short notice. The central defender had to cancel the trip after suffering a blow to his calf during training.
That means: Of the three regular central defenders, only Willian Pacho is suddenly left. “We have to accept it that way,” emphasized Toppmöller. Hrvoje Smolcic, who is left-footed like Pacho, should be in the starting line-up. Should Eintracht operate with a three-man chain, Makoto Hasebe would also be an option. “We’ll think about it,” said Toppmöller.
Fans find creative beer solutions
The approximately 600 to 700 Eintracht fans expected, the majority of whom will probably only arrive in Finland on Thursday, are doing everything they can to really heat up the atmosphere until kick-off. A particularly thirsty travel group’s plan to avoid the high alcohol prices in Helsinki by bringing their own beer and checking it in a suitcase didn’t work and ended in a big puddle. A pub chosen as a fan meeting attracted numerous Frankfurt fans on Wednesday evening with a beer special offer and then created a bit of a European Cup atmosphere.
“Everyone knows what international football causes at Eintracht Frankfurt,” emphasized Knauff. “The motivation is always high there.” In Helsinki you definitely have to do a little more to get that special feeling.
