Eintracht Frankfurt should actually be 4: 1 from the first leg of the Europa League against Red Bull Salzburg to reach the second round. However, the bitter bankruptcy against Bundesliga promoted Union Berlin leaves doubts that everything will go smoothly.
Salzburg (AP) - Eintracht Frankfurt coach Adi Hütter does not want to defend the 4: 1 from the first leg of the first knockout round of the Europa League on Thursday (9:00 p.m. / RTL and DAZN) with Red Bull Salzburg with a wall tactic.
"We have a head start, but we also want to push pinpricks forward and move on to the round of 16 with a good game," announced the 50-year-old Austrian and ex-coach from Salzburg at the old workplace. "If we reflect on our strengths, we are difficult to beat."
Part two of the Salzburg Festival could have been a comedy for the Hessians in the Austrian city of culture. But after the home defeat against 1. FC Union Berlin (1: 2), the encounter now has the potential for a tremor. "I don't think we have to give warnings after the 4-1 in the first leg," said sports director Fred Bobic.
From bitter experience, Eintracht goalkeeper Kevin Trapp knows how quickly you can change from a sure winner to a spectacular loser, especially on the European stage. "I've seen something else before," he recalled after the 4-1 win over Salzburg, one of the darkest moments of his career. In 2017, Trapp and his ex-club Paris Saint-Germain defeated FC Barcelona 4-0 in the round of 16 of the Champions League before going down 1-6.
In view of the Trapp experience and the recent extreme change in the performance of Eintracht, Hütter is also not completely certain that everything will go smoothly in his native Salzburg and that the round of 16 will be successful again. "We have to make it 4: 1," he said. If his professionals act as weakly as in the first half against Union - then Servus. "If we play like against Berlin, it will get dizzying. If we play like 4-1 against Salzburg, we will get 100 percent ahead," said Hütter.
"Even if we have a good head start: everything is going fast in football," said defensive player Timothy Chandler. "Everyone knows that it was not a good thing against Berlin and has to touch their own nose. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't." His colleague Makoto Hasebe doesn't see it that succinctly. "The emotions were lacking. We have to change our mentality," warned the 36-year-old from Japan, recalling the "last six weeks of the first half of the season" with just one win at Arsenal London (2-1) and eight defeats and a draw the Bundesliga.
Bobic does not accept that the again high number of games in a short time in three competitions contributes to the ups and downs of the level of playful harmony. "If the boys have big dreams and goals, they don't mind," said the former striker. "There are no excuses. We wanted it that way."
With the Austrian champions, Hütter will again offer the A team with Sebastian Rode, Djibril Sow and Almamy Touré after the big rotation with five personnel changes against Union. Martin Hinteregger, who was suspended in the first leg, will also stand in the defense. Mijat Gacinovic and Bas Dost cannot play.
Eintracht squad
game schedule
RB Salzburg official website
UEFA press kit