Preview: Slavia the visitors | OneFootball

Matchday 4 in the Europa League sees Eintracht at home to the Czech league leaders. Knauff and his team-mates are promising another “high-intensity 90 minutes”.

After hitting the heights in the DFB Cup against Borussia Mönchengladbach and then in the Bundesliga against VfL Bochum, Eintracht Frankfurt are looking for another gala performance in the UEFA Europa League, when they play their third home game in a row in as many different competitions. SK Slavia Praha of course will be eager to put a dampener on any celebrations...

The backdrop

Thursday at 18.45 CET sees the Eagles take on their second opponents from the Czech Republic, having recorded a 3-3 draw against Viktoria Plzeň to open the league phase of their European campaign. This time around, they face Slavia Praha, who currently sit proudly atop the Czech league.

Things look a little different in the Europa League table however, with three points and 10 places between the respective teams. Eintracht have seven points, putting them sixth, while Slavia Praha are 16th on four points.

Looking back

The Eagles are looking for their third win in a row in European competition, which would be crucial to their hopes of progressing further and also the first time that they have achieved this particular feat since early 2022, when they would go on to win the Europa League. Current form, not least at home, is in Eintracht’s favour, with the Eagles unbeaten at Deutsche Bank Park and having only suffered defeats against Dortmund and Leverkusen this term.

“Maintain our focus”

“You can see what 90 minutes of high intensity can give you with a team and an environment like this, and that’s what we need to bring over the coming weeks,” said Ansgar Knauff after the 7-2 win over VfL Bochum. Head coach Dino Toppmöller meanwhile is also looking to “put the emphasis on the team performance. I’m delighted for the lads when I see how many young players we have out on the pitch. We’re on the right track and we need to maintain our focus.” Next target: SK Slavia Praha…