Eintracht Frankfurt vs Ajax

Eintracht Frankfurt will aim to secure their place in the Europa League quarter-finals when they host Ajax in the second leg of their last-16 tie on Thursday night.

Holding a 2-1 advantage from the first leg in Amsterdam, Frankfurt turned the game around after falling behind to Brian Brobbey’s opener, thanks to goals from Hugo Larsson and Ellyes Skhiri. Now, the task is straightforward: avoid defeat at Deutsche-Bank Park, and they will advance to face either Tottenham Hotspur or AZ Alkmaar in the next round.

Frankfurt’s strong home form in Europe this season should boost their confidence. They have won their last three home matches in the competition without conceding a goal—a feat they haven’t achieved in over 30 years. While they did slip up in a 3-3 draw against Viktoria Plzen during the group stage, squandering a two-goal lead in the final minutes, they comfortably dispatched RFS, Slavia Prague, and Ferencvaros, finishing fifth in the league phase.

Historically, Frankfurt have a perfect record when winning the first leg away from home, having progressed in all seven previous instances. This statistic will undoubtedly give their fans added belief heading into Thursday’s clash.

However, Frankfurt’s recent domestic form has been a cause for concern. They have suffered back-to-back Bundesliga defeats, losing 4-1 to Bayer Leverkusen and 2-1 to Union Berlin. Against Union, they led after an hour but collapsed late on, with Hugo Ekitike missing a 95th-minute penalty that could have salvaged a draw. These results have highlighted vulnerabilities that Ajax will look to exploit.

Despite their league struggles, Frankfurt’s European campaign has been a bright spot, and they will be determined to maintain that momentum. With home advantage and a strong record in knockout ties, they are well-positioned to finish the job and keep their Europa League dreams alive.

After missing the weekend loss to Union Berlin due to suspension, Skhiri, the match-winner of the first leg, will be available once more. However, he will need to exercise caution since he faces a ban in Europe as well.

However, Nnamdi Collins is suspended following his booking in the first leg, joining Timothy Chandler (hamstring), Aurele Amenda (unregistered), and Igor Matanovic (foot) on the sidelines.

Since Ekitike needs a boost following his late penalty miss at the weekend, which dropped his recent form to just two goals in eight games, Michy Batshuayi, who scored his first goal for Frankfurt over the weekend, might accompany him up front.