Eintracht Frankfurt take on the visitors Napoli in the first leg of UEFA Champions League 1/8-finals. The match will be played on Tuesday, February 21st at Deutsche Bank Park (Frankfurt).
Eintracht Frankfurt are actually making its debut in a tournament of such rank. Moreover, they did not make it there directly, but through a backdoor such as the Europa League. It was not easy, and even for the success on the European stage, they sacrificed a lot in the Bundesliga. But in the end, after winning the final in a penalty shootout against Rangers, Glazner was able to embellish the first year of work in Frankfurt with a bright success. By the way, the Eagles have seriously improved on the domestic arena - they are holding on among the contenders for the 4th place. Moreover, they have not lost track of themselves in the Champions League. The autumn for the newcomer was not bright, with plenty of setbacks and failures, such as the 0-3 loss at home to Sporting. But it's always the darkest before the dawn. The club managed to win in 2 last rounds, against Marseille and in Lisbon. It was the volitional 2-1 victory in Portugal that brought the final result in the form of a pass to the playoffs.
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Under Spalletti, Napoli was able to secure their return to the Champions League last season. And it was a kind of swan song for a whole generation of local stars led by Insigne. Their simultaneous departure last summer could have been a serious blow. Instead, they were able to qualitatively update and rejuvenate the squad - who knows where Kvaratskhelia would have played under different circumstances? And now Khvicha and company are turning Italy upside down, producing almost perfect statistics in Serie A. It's only mid-February, but there are practically no doubts that for the first time since Maradona, the scudetto will return to San Paolo - it's a shame Diego Armando didn't live to see it! By the way, the huge handicap that has been created ahead of their pursuers in Serie A allows the team to now focus on the Champions League. There, by the way, the Italians were able to show excellent results, winning five times in a row, including beating the 2022 finalist, Liverpool, in the opening game. In the sixth round, however, Klopp's Reds were allowed to take revenge at Anfield with a 1-0 win. Nevertheless, Napoli managed to keep the first place in the group - and now, while the Reds are clashing with Madrid's Real, Napoli is heading to Germany to play against the newcomer.
Oddly enough, the clubs have met before, and in an official competition. It happened in 1994 within the already-reformatted UEFA Cup, and there, Eintracht won twice with a score of 1-0. The Italians are now stronger and more stable, and can afford to throw all their strength into the Champions League. So let's take a risk and bet that they will win this match with a handicap of 0, even in Frankfurt am Main.
Prediction for the match: Napoli to win with 0.0 handicap.
