Eintracht Frankfurt’s Dino Toppmöller has expressed confidence ahead of Thursday’s UEFA Europa League clash with Ajax – but the 44-year-old warned that “we mustn’t get ahead of ourselves” after their 2-1 win in last week’s first leg.
Brian Brobbey had gifted the Dutch side the lead inside the opening 10 minutes at the Johan Cruijff ArenA last Thursday, before goals from Hugo Larsson and Ellyes Skhiri put die Adler in control of the tie.
Toppmöller told reporters in his pre-match press conference: “I expect us to build on our performance from the first leg and be just as focussed and concentrated for 90 minutes. Then I’m confident that we’ll progress to the next round.”
“It’s going to be a tight game, we’re only halfway through. We’re not thinking about the tournament tree or the road ahead, we’re only thinking about the game on Thursday – and that will be hard enough. We mustn’t get ahead of ourselves. It’s against Ajax; a team that has won almost everything in recent weeks and will come here with great confidence.”
Eintracht Frankfurt currently sit 4th in the Bundesliga, trailing 3rd-placed Mainz by two points – but just five points separate Toppmöller’s side from 9th-placed Borussia Mönchengladbach after a poor run of form that has seen die Adler lose their last three league matches.
Still, the former midfielder insists “it’s not about pressure or how you perceive things. I’m in an absolute tunnel and only have Ajax on my mind. We are aware of the opportunity to unleash a fresh euphoria. We have taken the first of two steps. Looking ahead to the next few weeks, we can set an example.”