In the first leg of this Europa League Play-off round tie, RC Strasbourg ran out 1-0 victors with a goal from Ivorian international Lucien Zohi.
Statistically, Eintracht were the better of the two sides - Strasbourg only managed to find a single shot on target. Adi Hutter‘s side were also denied a penalty shout by the referee, and dominated possession.
The famous Waldstadion atmosphere could prove vital for Die Adler to spur them on to victory and into a the group stage of a competition they only lost out on being in the final of on penalties.
The Eagles were defeated 2-1 by RB Leipzig at the weekend, Gonçalo Paciencia scoring a last minute consolation goal.
Team News
As well as a list of players who have been out on long term injuries, Mijat Gacinovic has been unable to train for the Eagles. According to Eintracht Frankfurt's boss, Adi Hutter, 'Ante Rebic took part in light training'. Depending on the Croatian's fitness levels, he may or may not feature on Thursday night. Summer signing Sebastien Rode will be available for selection, and he confirmed his fitness in the pre-match press conference
Following last week's leg and a loss to Rennes at the weekend, Strasbourg have four players who are unavailable for the match. Anthony Caci, Ismael Aeneba, Ibrahima Sissoko and Youssouf Fofana have all been ruled out of the 21-man side through injury.
Predicted Lineups
Eintracht Frankfurt: 3-4-1-2
Trapp, Abraham, Hasebe, N'Dicka, Da Costa, Kohr, Rode, Kostic, Rebic, Paciencia, Dost
RC Strasbourg: 3-4-1-2
Sels, N'Dour, Koné, Djiku, Simajan, Martin, Bellagarde, Carole, Corgnet, da Costa, Mothiba
Ones to watch
Eintracht Frankfurt - Bas Dost
The Dutchman, who signed midweek for 7 million Euros, as a replacement for Sebastien Haller could make his debut at the Commerzbank Arena
Dost was a prolific goalscorer with his past club, Sporting CP, and will look to continue his form to fire Die Adler to the group stage of the Europa League. 30-years-old, he has previously won the DFB Pokal when he was at fellow Bundesliga side VFL Wolfsburg. He has experience in European competition, having played in both the Europa League and Champions league at Sporting.
RC Strasbourg - Ludovic Ajorque
The striker could prove deadly for Thierry Laurey's side
25-years-old, he signed for Strasbourg at the start of the 18/19 season, after he held a strong goalscoring record with previous club Clermont Foot.
Against Rennes, Laurey opted for two up front - different from the three who featured against Frankfurt. However, Ajorque has found himself up top in both fixtures. He has netted two and assisted one already in the five qualifying rounds, but has not found the goal in either of the club's Ligue 1 ties.
The managers' thoughts
Eagles' boss Adi Hutter told eintracht.de of his expectations ahead of the game:
“Our opponents have quality and pace, particularly in transition after winning the ball. We need to play an intelligent game, counter-press when we lose the ball and, if that fails, drop deep. Strasbourg also pose a threat from set-pieces. The first-leg result is dangerous, even if we score two goals. We need to be organised and find a way through in the final third, even if the opponents are sitting deep.”
Speaking to lequipe.fr, Thierry Laurey mentioned how the Frankfurt tie is a difficult one for the side:
"We would have liked to avoid Frankfurt, I think other teams were maybe a little more affordable. We did well in the first game, but we also know that there is a second meeting. Despite the first leg score, Frankfurt remains [the] favourite."