Eintracht Frankfurt returns to the Champions League knockout rounds for the first time since 1959 as they host one of the most in-form teams in Europe right now in Napoli.
In the run-up to this game, Frankfurt beat Werder Bremen 2-0 with an own goal from Marco Friedl as well as Randal Kolo Muani scoring once again for Frankfurt. The win leaves them five points off of the top three in the Bundesliga who are all level on 43 points.
Napoli on the other hand are in a lot more comfortable position as they sit 15 points clear at the top of Serie A. They continued their quest for their first Scudetto since 1990 with a 2-0 win against Sassuolo with goals from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Victor Osimhen which extended their unbeaten run in the league to seven games.
Frankfurt have shown that they can fight with some of the best teams around when they convincingly beat Barcelona on the way to their Europa League triumph last year, but Frankfurt have shown at times this season to have defensive lapses. This can be seen when they lost 3-0 to 1.FC Köln two weeks ago and with Napoli possessing the likes of Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia who are arguably the most in-form duo in world football, it will prove a challenge for the likes of Evan Ndicka and Tuta who have shown their fragility at times.
The positive for Frankfurt is that they also have one of the most in-form players in the world in Kolo Muani. The 24-year-old has 15 goals and 14 assists in 30 games for Frankfurt and has become one of the most in-demand players in football after he also showed his quality at the World Cup with France. Daichi Kamada and Jesper Lindstrøm will also be hoping to impress.
This will be the first time that Frankfurt and Napoli have met.
GGFN | Jack Meenan