Eintracht Frankfurt still has to nibble on the wild game against Borussia Dortmund, so the next task awaits: third division Viktoria Köln in the DFB Cup.
Eintracht Frankfurt will fight against Viktoria Köln on Wednesday (8:45 p.m.) for a place in the next round of the DFB Cup, but they still have it the rapid 3:3 against Borussia Dortmund from Sunday in my head. “It’s important that we put the BVB game behind us,” said coach Dino Toppmöller in the press conference on Monday, before revealing his recipe for how he wants to use the unfortunate draw to his advantage.
Toppmöller: Transform anger into positive energy
“The important thing is that we carry a certain amount of anger with us that we didn’t win the game because it was absolutely possible and we conceded a bit ourselves,” said Toppmöller. His team should “transform this anger into positive energy.” The coach held back on the controversial topic of VAR – When the score was 2-0, Frankfurt had been denied a clear penalty. “We still have to look at ourselves and ask ourselves what we can do better.”
Of course, Toppmöller also did what coaches always do when it comes to lower-class teams: he warned. “It will be an absolute challenge. We have to approach the matter with 100% focus. Viktoria brings a lot of quality to the pitch,” he said about the third division team, who eliminated Werder Bremen in the first round of the cup. “It’s a team that likes to have the ball themselves. They are still unbeaten at home.”
Trapp operation still open
Nevertheless, there could be rotation at Frankfurt. “There are definitely some considerations about giving someone playing time. But we don’t give out candy, it’s about winning a game,” said Toppmöller. Whether goalkeeper Kevin Trapp will play will not be decided until Tuesday. According to his trainer, Trapp is undergoing further treatment on his back.
The national goalkeeper would miss at least one venue that is unfamiliar to Eintracht: the small Höhenberg stadium, Viktoria’s home ground. “It’s definitely going to be a little cauldron,” said Toppmöller, looking forward to the atmosphere – and was counting on the Eintracht fans who were keen to travel. “I assume that we will have what feels like a home game.”
This is how Eintracht could play in Cologne.
