In Frankfurt, before the big “final”, the state of emergency breaks out again. Thousands of supporters take the plane south, at home the crowd of fans gather in their own stadium for the public viewing – the tangible round of 16 in the premier class will electrify an entire city.
“We want to push the boundaries there, too,” announced board spokesman Axel Hellmann: “It would be historic if we were to succeed in moving in.”
For this, Eintracht must win their group final at Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday (9 p.m. / DAZN). “We can do finals,” emphasized national goalkeeper Kevin Trapp. “We love such a hop or top,” added Hellmann.
From first to fourth place, anything is still possible for the Europa League champion in Group D. One thing is certain: one win is enough for the round of 16 and a rain of millions – but nothing else.
In the event of a draw and defeat, third-place finishers would be relegated to the Europa League or fourth-placed internationals. For the latter, Olympique Marseille would have to win their home game against Tottenham Hotspur at the same time.
“We would have gone to Lisbon anyway to win,” commented coach Oliver Glasner smugly on the starting position. Sporting director Markus Krösche announced that they were going to the Estadio Jose Alvalade “with an open mind”.
Eintracht boss announces victory
Despite the lesson in the 3-0 defeat in the first leg and the unfortunate 2-1 defeat against Dortmund at the weekend, self-confidence knows no bounds. “We will win and make it into the round of 16,” said Krösche. “We won’t let anything or anyone deter us from our path.”
After the usury of opportunities against BVB, it is only necessary to increase effectiveness again.
The enormous strain of the English weeks should not become a problem. “Everyone should regenerate as best they can if they can make it into the round of 16,” said captain Sebastian Rode. He has “no concerns at all” about this, Glasner added: “We’ve been through it like this for four weeks. We’ll get through it like this for the remaining two weeks.”
Eintracht Frankfurt waving millions in revenue
In any case, the SBU wants to “make up for something” from the first leg, said Rode. In the debut game in the premier class, the Hessians were the better team for over 60 minutes, Lisbon then scored their first chance – and the Glasner team fell apart. There are 9.6 million euros in bonuses from UEFA for qualifying for the round of 16 with a win, and there is also a significant increase in TV money.
But the fact that Eintracht was all at eye level with their group opponents “is the real achievement,” emphasized Hellmann. Now a mix of “cleverness and experience” will decide. The stage seems set for another magical European night. For this “we will fight and work together”, promised Mario Götze.