Will Eintracht clinch the group win?
“Good things come to those who wait”. Sometimes you just have to give a new coach some time to implement his idea of the game with the players. Oliver Glasner had teething problems at Eintracht Frankfurt, but in the meantime the team is implementing his ideas better and better and has thus found its way to success.
The Hessians want to continue on this path on Thursday in the Europa League. This competition in particular has really taken a liking to Eintracht in recent years. On Thursday, a home win against Royal Antwerp could seal the group victory. This would mean that the Frankfurt team would already be in the last sixteen.
The group was a tough one. Olympiakos Piraeus and Fenerbahce Istanbul, who are anything but walk-ins, are four and five points behind the Glasner team. The Belgians are almost out of the running with only two points. That’s why not only the best bookmakers are predicting a home win in the Frankfurt vs. Antwerp clash.
Caution is definitely called for, however, as the visitors have perhaps underperformed somewhat in their first matches in the Europa League. We therefore do not necessarily expect a high success for the home side. Therefore, we can imagine placing a bet on less than 2.5 goals in the clash between Frankfurt and Antwerp.
Frankfurt – Statistics & current form
Frankfurt are getting better and better into their stride. At times this season it looked more like a relegation battle, but in the meantime the Hessians are moving further and further away from the red zone in the Bundesliga table. There is still no talk of a secure midfield, but Eintracht are now in eleventh place in the German Bundesliga with 15 points.
Winning streak of Eintracht
Now it’s time to convince at home again. Most recently, there were three wins in three competitive matches, but these all came away from home. At home, the team has only won one of the last seven games. Nevertheless, we are primarily checking the odds on a home win in the Frankfurt vs. Antwerp clash, taking into account the Glasner eleven’s rising form.
SC Freiburg remained unbeaten in their own arena for months until they hosted Eintracht Frankfurt last Saturday. The Hessians showed a very mature performance and decided the game in their favour already in the first period. Jesper Lindström and Filip Kostic’s goals ensured a somewhat unexpected 2-0 away victory.
Frankfurt want to win the group, but this is hardly to be taken away from the Hessians anyway. We therefore assume that Oliver Glasner will not take any risks with the injured players around Martin Hinteregger and Christopher Lenz. It is possible, however, that captain Sebastian Rode will now return to the team.
Predicted Frankfurt line-up:
Trapp – Tuta, N’Dicka, Hasebe – Jakic, Sow – Kostic, Chandler, Lindström, Kamada – Borre – Coach: Glasner
Last matches played by Frankfurt:
1st Bundesliga
11/21 2021 – SC Freiburg 0 – 2 Eintracht Frankfurt
11/07 2021 – Greuther Fürth 1 – 2 Eintracht Frankfurt
Europa League Grp. D
11/04 2021 – Olympiakos Piraeus 1 – 2 Eintracht Frankfurt
1st Bundesliga
10/30 2021 – Eintracht Frankfurt 1 – 1 RB Leipzig
10/24 2021 – Vfl Bochum 2 – 0 Eintracht Frankfurt
Antwerp – Statistics & current form
In essence, there is not much to criticise about Royal Antwerpen’s season. Brian Priske’s team is on a good way to the championship playoffs, which the best four teams of the regular season reach in Belgium. It is still tight in the standings, but with second place and 27 points from 15 games, Antwerp are currently in a very respectable position.
The wins are missing
Lately, however, things have not been running smoothly. The Belgians lack the necessary consistency. They have only won two of their last eight games. The tendency at Royal is therefore rather downwards, i.e. in the opposite direction to Eintracht. This is one of the reasons why the forecast for the duel between Frankfurt and Antwerp is more in the direction of a home victory for the Hessians.
Last weekend there was the next setback in the Jupiler League. Antwerp suffered a 2-1 defeat at St. Truiden. The home side led 2-0 until the 82nd minute, when Mbwana Samatta scored the equaliser. Afterwards, Antwerp were criticised for not playing physically enough.
On Thursday, the Belgians will have the opportunity to prove the opposite. Except for Sander Coopman, coach Brian Priske should have all his players available. At the weekend, Viktor Fischer and Johannes Eggestein, both well-known from the Bundesliga, were on the bench. It is quite possible that they will play from the start on familiar terrain in Frankfurt.
Predicted line-up of Antwerp:
Butez – Vines, Engels, Seck, De Laet – Verstraete, Nainggolan – Balikwisha, Alhassan, Benson – Frey – Coach: Priske
Last matches played by Antwerp:
Jupiler Liga
11/21 2021 – VV St. Truiden 2 – 1 Antwerp
11/07 2021 – Antwerp 2 – 0 RSC Anderlecht
Europa League Grp. D
11/04 2021 – Antwerp 0 – 3 Fenerbahçe
Jupiler Liga
10/31 2021 – Cercle Brugge 0 – 1 Antwerp
Cup
10/28 2021 – KVC Westerlo 2 – 1 Antwerp
Frankfurt – Antwerp Direct comparison / H2H balance
There are still plenty of opponents in international competitions that you’ve never crossed paths with before. This season, Eintracht Frankfurt and Royal Antwerp were drawn against each other for the first time. Therefore, the first leg in Belgium at the end of September was the first ever meeting between these two clubs.
After the 1-0 away win, the direct comparison speaks in favour of Eintracht, although this should be given less importance after only one match. Nevertheless, it was an important success for the Hessians on their way to the last 16. Goncalo Paciencia scored the winning goal for Frankfurt in the 90th minute from the penalty spot.
Frankfurt – Antwerp tip
The Frankfurt team has only one goal, namely to win the group. That would see the Hessians jump straight into the round of 16 and could spare them a play-off round in the spring. A home win would secure first place. However, things have not been going well at home in recent weeks. They have only won one of their last seven home games.
On the other hand, Oliver Glasner’s team has won three times in a row – always away from home. In any case, the Hessians’ form gives them confidence. Furthermore, Royal have only won twice in their last eight games and are therefore not really in a good mood.
In addition, the Hessians have become increasingly solid defensively. The 2-0 win in Freiburg is an expression of this. Eintracht also won the first leg in Antwerp without conceding a goal. That’s why we decided to play the betting odds between Frankfurt and Antwerp on a win to nil for the Bundesliga team.
