Eintracht Frankfurt v Aberdeen: Dons face daunting task in Europa Conference League
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Eintracht Frankfurt's Deutsche Bank Park, known as Waldstadion, has an intimidating atmosphere
Europa Conference League Group G: Eintracht Frankfurt v Aberdeen |
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Venue: Deutsche Bank Park, Frankfurt Date: Thursday, 21 September Kick-off: 17:45 BST |
Coverage: Listen on BBC Radio Scotland Extra/DAB/810MW, live text commentary on the BBC Sport website & app |
Aberdeen's form is such that any away trip in Europe would feel daunting right now but Eintracht Frankfurt's Waldstadion, one of Germany's most atmospheric arenas, is about as tough as it gets.
No side - including Barcelona - managed to get the better of Eintracht at the now named Deutsche Bank Park as they marched to Europa League glory two seasons ago, while only Borussia Dortmund and Italian champions Napoli emerged victorious in Frankfurt's last 21 home games.
Even in the best of times Aberdeen's task to get anything from this game would be huge, but a beleaguered side struggling to find its identity and with one win in eight games will not fill travelling fans with much confidence.
A trip to the 'Stadium in the Forest' brings everything supporters want from a European away trip. It will be an unforgettable experience regardless of the result.
But Barry Robson's side will need to produce a level of performance that has been beyond Aberdeen teams for a while now if they want to start building some positive momentum.
Frankfurt in transition
The gulf between the two clubs can be summed up in one transfer - that of France striker Randal Kolo Muani, who left Frankfurt for Paris St-Germain at the end of August for about £80m.
If that wasn't enough for you, Denmark midfielder Jesper Lindstrom also left for Napoli for £25m. Even in Europe's third-tier competition, the financial - and therefore quality - gap, is huge.
The glimmer of hope for Aberdeen is those departures have significantly impacted Frankfurt. Kolo Muani scored 23 goals and set up 14 last season. Other key players have moved on too.
The brilliant midfielder Daichi Kamada has joined Lazio, Djibril Sow departed for Sevilla, centre-back Evan Ndicka has gone to Roma, and left-back Christopher Lenz moved to RB Leipzig.
All these players were starters, and a key part of last season's run to the last 16 of the Champions League, as well as the Europa League final defeat of Rangers in 2022.
The manager who led that success, the Austrian Oliver Glasner, has also gone after an agreement not to see out the final year of his contract. He left after defeat against RB Leipzig in the German Cup final.
Dino Toppmoller, former assistant to Julian Nagelsmann at Leipzig and Bayern Munich, has taken the reins and is in the early days of his tenure.
Eintracht are unbeaten in seven games this season but are struggling for goals. Only twice have they managed to find the net more than once in a game, and one of those was a 7-0 win against fourth-tier side Lokomotiv Leipzig in the cup.
Conversely, they have been solid defensively. Toppmoller's side are ninth after four Bundesliga games with just one win so far. Sunday's 1-1 draw with Bochum was their third tie in the league already.
Bochum, far from one of the league's heavyweights, were aggressive in pressing Frankfurt and unsettled them, winning a lot of duels and second balls as they took control for large parts of the game.
That could provide the template for Robson, although Eintracht were still threatening on the break.
World Cup winner Mario Gotze is one of Frankfurt's key players
Goalscorer Junior Dina Ebimbe is a powerful runner in attacking midfield, where he plays alongside World Cup winner Mario Gotze. The German is 31 now, but his craft and guile remains.
Goalkeeper Kevin Trapp, the man who denied Aaron Ramsey in that Europa League final shootout in Seville, remains a huge presence.
Forwards Omar Marmoush and Fares Chaibi came on at half-time at the weekend and made an impact too, so could be in line to start.
But overall this Frankfurt team is not as potent as they have been in recent seasons. There is no Kolo Muani, no Luka Jovic, or Filip Kostic. No Andre Silva, Sebastian Haller, or Ante Rebic.
There are weaknesses to exploit.
The key question is whether Aberdeen are good enough to make the most of them. Based on the season so far, it would be an enormous leap of faith to suggest they are.
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