Credit: Imago

Dan Godfrey

Tue 15 April 2025 11:35, UK

Tottenham Hotspur face arguably their biggest game in years on Thursday as they visit Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League.

The quarter-final tie is finely poised as Spurs head to Germany (17 April), with Pedro Porro’s equaliser in North London having brought the aggregate scoreline into the balance.

Ange Postecoglou knows his future could well hinge on the events that take place this week, with Tottenham fans despairing at their side’s abject league form this season.

Eintracht Frankfurt v Tottenham Hotspur preview

Tottenham Hotspur have been undeniably horrendous in the Premier League and were unable to mount any ultimately successful challenge for the domestic cups, with Europe now on an inevitable pedestal.

Spurs played exactly like a team with more than one eye on this week’s second leg when they went down 4-2 at Molineux against Wolves on Sunday (13 April).

Postecoglou kept his distance from the travelling supporters at the final whistle but will take plenty of much-needed respite if he can steer his team through to the last four of the Europa League this week.

Manchester United and Rangers complete a heavily-British outlook on the last remaining teams in the competition, and Spurs will be looking to eliminate a side in Frankfurt who know how to operate this competition. It was Rangers who fell victim to the Bundesliga side in the 2022 final of the tournament.

Only lifting a maiden trophy in 17 years will qualify Spurs for any format of European football for next season, and in turn potentially save not only Postecoglou, but the commitment of several key players in the squad.

Team news

Son Heung-min missed the trip to Wolves with a foot injury, which now makes him a doubt for Thursday. Postecoglou will however be prioritising a quick return for his captain, who may well play this week and then miss the following league fixture against Nottingham Forest next Monday (21 April).

Dejan Kulusevski has a chance to be involved according to the head coach, while Kevin Danso is in the same doubtful category.

Radu Dragusin remains out as a long-term absentee, though Wilson Odobert could return to the fold after a rest for the Molineux clash.

In the hosts’ camp, Junior Dina Ebimbe, Kevin Trapp, Ansgar Knauff and Krisztian Lisztes are all expected to miss out as things stand.

Predicted line-ups

Eintracht Frankfurt: K. Santos, Kristensen, Koch, Theate, Brown, Skhiri, Tuta, Gotze, Larsson, Bahoya, Ekitike.

Tottenham Hotspur: Vicario, Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie, Bergvall, Bentancur, Maddison, Johnson, Son, Solanke.

Form guide (all competitions)

Frankfurt: WDLWW

Spurs: LDWLL

Supercomputer prediction

Courtesy of Opta‘s supercomputer, it can be revealed Tottenham Hotspur are considered underdogs to qualify for the semi-finals while out in Frankfurt this week.

The detailed algorithm has ranked the Bundesliga’s third-placed side with a 40.6 per cent chance of winning inside 90 minutes on Thursday, with Spurs given a 32.8 per cent probability. A draw takes a 26.6 per cent chance.

While it may be a slender disadvantage for Tottenham, they will give everything to defy the odds and take a massive step towards a European trophy.