Eintracht Frankfurt team news vs Napoli ahead of Champions League last 16 clash

Last season’s Europa League winners have been handed the unenviable task of stopping Italian giants Napoli in order to progress to the last 8 of the Champions League this season when the two sides meet on Tuesday.

The German outfit are in the Champions League for the first time since 1960, when they reached the final of the competition, having beaten Rangers in the Europa League final last season.

However, they are rank outsiders to make it further than the round of 16, with Napoli as short as 2/5 with the bookies to qualify for the quarter finals and continue a stunning season for Spalleti’s side.

Frankfurt won’t go down without a fight, however, and here’s how we expect them to line up for the first leg against the Italian giants.

Predicted XI

Team News

Midfielder Sebastian Rode is expected to miss the home tie with illness, meaning that Daichi Kamada will likely continue his deeper role in the Frankfurt side.

Aside from that, however, the side boasts largely a clean bill of health, which will pit their most in form star, Randal Kolo Muani, against a defence that has conceded just 15 times in the Italian top flight to date.

Meanwhile, Buta and Smolcic will have their hands full on the Frankfurt right side as they look to contain Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who has 10 goals and 11 assists in Serie A, as well as five-goal contributions across the Champions League group stages.

Further forward, a resurgent Mario Gotze and talented Lindstrom will look to inflict damage of their own, but will find themselves without the ball for large periods of both legs and will have to be dilligent with how they use it on the rare occasions that they manage to find space between the Napoli lines.