Eintracht Frankfurt’s Dino Toppmöller suggested that many of his players are preparing for “the biggest game of their career” ahead of the club’s UEFA Europa League quarter-final against Spurs on Thursday.
Die Adler won the tournament three seasons ago, and Töppmoller told reporters that the club are relishing the opportunity to compete in “a gripping duel in which we want to assert ourselves.”
“We meet a top favourite for the title, together with Manchester United, and we know the quality that is in their team, which is led by a very good coach,” he continued.
Töppmoller, 44, has accepted that his side head into Thursday’s first leg as the underdogs, but he has called upon the players to embrace “the mentality” that comes with the title.
Spurs “have a deluxe squad – in terms of market value, it is the fifth strongest in the Premier League,” he explained, noting that the Lilywhites “play with the same system as Ajax, but the quality of the individual players is on another level.”
“The fact they’ve not been able to convert that into good form in the Premier League this season can be put down to many reasons, such as many injuries. Now they can focus completely on the Europa League, which is their only route into international football for next season,” the former midfielder continued.
“We know about the quality of Son, Johnson, Odobert, Solanke and co, but we also have a good squad and together we can stand up to Tottenham. We want to get ahead with the mentality of the underdog,” he proclaimed.
Spurs host Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday 10 April, with kick-off in the UEFA Europa League at 20:00 BST [21:00 CEST].