The Daily Star Ireland
FC Midtjylland, a regular contender in European competitions, entered the Europa League with the goal of securing one of the top 24 spots for the knockout stages. Currently, they are in 13th place with 7 points, having drawn 1-1 with Hoffenheim in their opening match.
They then beat Maccabi Tel Aviv 2-0 and Union Saint-Gilloise 1-0 before suffering a 2-0 loss to Steaua Bucharest. In domestic league play, the team is still in the title race but has faced a challenging period, losing 4 of their last 5 matches before the international break. On Monday, they will face Silkeborg in an attempt to bounce back.
Eintracht Frankfurt, on the other hand, is considered one of the top teams in this Europa League campaign. They started with a disappointing draw against Viktoria Plzen but quickly bounced back with wins over Besiktas (1-3), Rigas FC (1-0), and Slavia Prague (1-0). In the Bundesliga, Frankfurt is also performing well, sitting in 3rd place before their upcoming match against Werder Bremen. They have been dominant, notably thrashing Bochum 7-2 and defeating Stuttgart 2-3 before the international break.
Midtjylland is currently dealing with several key injuries, which could explain their recent struggles. Notable absences include midfielders Simsir and Osorio, top scorer Franculino Dju, striker Chilufya, as well as long-term injuries to Marrony and Gue-sung Cho. However, Polish striker Buksa, who has scored 4 league goals, is expected to play, along with promising player Sorensen, who also has 4 goals.
Eintracht Frankfurt will also be missing several players for this match, including midfielders Hojlund, Larsson, Amenda, and Collins, right-back Kristensen, and Belgian defender Theate. However, former Paris Saint-Germain striker Hugo Ekitike, who has 5 goals and 2 assists in the Bundesliga, may be available.
The team’s standout player this season has been Egyptian international Marmoush, who has 11 goals and 7 assists in the Bundesliga and 2 goals in the Europa League. His brilliant performance in the last match, scoring a stunning goal against Slavia Prague, has been a highlight of the season.
Prediction
Looking at recent trends, Midtjylland’s matches in the Europa League have consistently seen goals at both ends, with all 21 of their last fixtures in the competition involving goals from both teams. This includes a streak of ten consecutive home games with similar results. While Eintracht Frankfurt doesn’t match this scoring trend, they have found the net and conceded in 10 of their last 14 away games.
Prediction: Midtjylland 1 : 3 Eintracht Frankfurt.
