Preview: Back in Europe and on a roll | OneFootball

Eintracht Frankfurt host Ferencvárosi TC in the first match between the two clubs since 1967, with the Europa League now heading towards the knockout stages and the round of 16.

The backdrop

Eintracht Frankfurt have made a perfect start to the new calendar year with three wins on the trot in the Bundesliga. Now their focus turns to the UEFA Europa League, where they sit fifth ahead of their home match against Ferencvárosi TC on Thursday evening (kick-off at Deutsche Bank Park: 21:00 CET). Dino Toppmöller’s side currently have every chance of making it through to the round of 16 directly, while their Hungarian opponents are only four points but 11 places behind them in 16th. The Budapest club have picked up nine points so far, with wins against Nice (1-0), Dynamo Kyiv (4-0) and Malmö (4-1). In the Hungarian Nemzeti Bajnokság league, the 35-time winners and reigning champions are currently second.

Looking back

In domestic terms, it is currently the winter break through to early February, with Krisztián Lisztes’ former team not having been in action for over five weeks now. This hiatus makes for a difficult start for Robbie Keane, who took over from Pascal Jensen as head coach at the start of the year.

Ferencváros have traditionally dominated on the domestic stage but struggled internationally, as illustrated by the fact that the last time that they recorded four victories in a European campaign was in 1994/95. They have also been poor against German opposition, losing seven of their last nine matches, including in the round of 16 of the Europa League in 2022/23 against Bayer 04 Leverkusen.

The only time that the two teams have met in the past came in the 1966/67 Fairs Cup, with Frankfurt winning on 5-3 aggregate (4-1 at home, 1-2 away).

Toppmöller in the stands

In the new format, the teams play only once, and Toppmöller will sit this one out having picked up a red card in the heated aftermath of the Lyon match. The Eintracht head coach was given the minimum punishment, with the 44-year-old saying with a smile that he seems to have “got off lightly” with just a one-match ban.

Varga firing on all cylinders

While he may not be allowed in the dugout on Thursday, the coach will of course be running the training sessions, which get back under way again on Monday after two days off. Ferencváros meanwhile will be counting on Barnabás Varga, with the striker