Next stop: South of France | OneFootball

Eintracht are away at Olympique de Marseille on Tuesday as both teams seek their first Group D points on Matchday 2.

“Recovery, videos, clearing your head – and then going for it again with everything we’ve got.” That was Eintracht head coach Oliver Glasner’s approach between the games against Sporting Clube de Portugal and VfL Wolfsburg.

After two successive defeats without scoring there is no time to wallow in self-pity as just three days after the Eagles’ Bundesliga Matchday 6 assignment, they are in action again on Matchday 2 of the UEFA Champions League. On Tuesday 13 September Glasner’s charges lock horns with Group D opponents Olympique de Marseille at the Orange Vélodrome (kick-off 21:00 CEST).

Following three straight home games it is now Eintracht’s turn to hit the road. And there are fond memories of the 67,000-capacity arena on the Mediterranean coast, as the Eagles earned a 2-1 victory there in the 2018/19 UEFA Europa League group stage with goals from Lucas Torró and Luka Jovic, despite being down to 10 men. Almost exactly four years later the teams now meet again, only this time fans are allowed in the stadium. Whereas that previous match took place behind closed doors, 3,300 Frankfurt supporters will be cheering on their team from the stands on Tuesday.

“Take plenty of positives”

“We were taught a lesson against Sporting,” said Eintracht board member for sport Markus Krösche after the final whistle blew on the club’s Champions League debut last Wednesday. “But we can still take plenty of positives. We recovered the ball an incredible amount against a team that’s good in possession, we pinned them back inside their own half and we defended very well as a team. We can build on that.”

The fans acknowledged the performance regardless of the defeat, with Djibril Sow highlighting the “unbelievable support” the team received. Glasner struck a similar chord: “We can’t let our heads drop because of the result. The players deserved the applause of the fans after the final whistle because they gave everything.”

The players will be counting on more of the same in Marseille, especially as an equally tricky match awaits. Following their 2-1 victory over Lille on Saturday, the nine-time French champions and 10-time cup winners are level with league leaders Paris Saint-Germain, having taken 19 of a possible 21 points so far.