Preview: Travelling to Denmark with a tailwind | OneFootball

Matchday 5 of the Europa League takes Eintracht for a first-ever meeting with FC Midtjylland.

The backdrop

It was a successful return to action after the latest international break for Eintracht Frankfurt, who moved up to second in the Bundesliga table with the 1-0 win at home to SV Werder Bremen. Now it’s back to the European stage: on Matchday 5 of the UEFA Europa League, the Eagles visit Midtjylland on Thursday 28 November (kick-off 21:00 CET).

Eintracht head to Denmark on a roll after five consecutive wins in all competitions. They’ve also won their last three games in the Europa League, where they’re currently in fourth place in the league phase standings with 10 points.

Awaiting them are opponents who are strong at home. Midtjylland are unbeaten in eight European matches on their own turf, with their last defeat at the Arena Herning coming in February 2023. In the current campaign, FCM have taken four points from their home encounters with TSG Hoffenheim and Union Saint-Gilloise. On the road in Europe, they’ve registered a victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv and a defeat to FCSB in Bucharest. That leaves them with seven points and 13th place, with a goal difference of 4:3.

Head-to-head

This is the first competitive meeting between the two sides.

Strong defences

Defensive solidity will be a crucial factor on Thursday. Frankfurt have kept a clean sheet in their last two European outings, as they did against Bremen on Saturday. “Defending is always a team effort,” said sporting director Timmo Hardung following Bundesliga Matchday 11. “The more you keep the opponents away from your goal and put them under pressure, the easier it is get out from the back.”

A look at the stats pack shows that Eintracht defender Arthur Theate boasts the best tackle success rate in the current UEL season with 84.4 percent, while injured Rasmus Kristensen (71.4 percent) and Tuta (70 percent) are also in the top 20.

Like Eintracht, Midtjylland have also registered two shut-outs in the Europa League this term. In total Thomas Thomasberg’s side have conceded three goals so far – that number will hopefully be increasing on Thursday night.