Eintracht Frankfurt vs Aberdeen prediction: EUROPE: Europa Conference League – Group Stage betting tips on match 2023-09-20 16:45.
This may feel like a fall from grace for 2021/22 UEFA Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt who made it to the last 16 of the Champions League last season. They’re now playing in the continent’s third-tier competition, the Europa Conference League (UECL), but should at least feel confident of progression to the knockout phase given they share a group containing Greece’s PAOK, Finland’s HJK and Scottish opponents here, Aberdeen.
Frankfurt will hope meeting the side from the north of Scotland in their debut in this competition is a good omen, as they also opened their 1979/80 Europa League campaign (then named UEFA Cup) against Aberdeen, winning 2-1 over two legs before going all the way to claiming their first-ever European crown. That contributed to an overall impressive record of five wins from seven clashes against Scottish teams (D1, L1), whilst it’s no defeat in seven competitive contests so far this season under new boss Dino Toppmöller (W3, D4).
It’s a totally different story for Aberdeen who look a shell of the side to finish best of the rest behind the Old Firm duo in the Scottish Premiership last season. Their only win from their opening eight competitive matches this season came against League One outfit Stirling Albion in the cup, and they’re only off the bottom of the league table by virtue of goal difference. It’s little surprise then that this past weekend’s 2-0 defeat to Hearts saw travelling away fans turn on the players post-match.
Under this cloud, the Dons may see this game as a free hit and a chance to give their travelling fans something to cheer about, despite the fact neither form of history are on their side. Their last appearance in the group stage of a European competition (UEFA Cup, 2007/08) saw them lose both away matches without scoring (2-0, 3-0), while they’ve never previously won an away game on German soil (D2, L8).
Players to watch: Veteran Makoto Hasebe needs one more continental appearance to climb into Frankfurt’s top seven all-time European appearances makers (38). Although he’s yet to open his account in September, Aberdeen’s Bojan Miovski did score in five successive competitive matches in August.
Hot stat: Frankfurt are the first German team to qualify for all six major European club competitions (UEFA Cup, European Cup Winners’ Cup, European Cup, Europa League, Champions League and Europa Conference League).