Why Frankfurt will beat Napoli

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When Dino Toppmöller sets up his team for this encounter, he will be looking for ways to hurt the opposition. Fortunately, given the abundance of attacking quality at his disposal, he does not have to look far.

Frankfurt have a knack for acquiring prolific centre-forwards, and Jonathan Burkardt is no exception. The 25-year-old has filled the hole left by the outgoing Hugo Ekitiké, hitting his stride after a slow start by scoring nine in his last nine matches for his club in all competitions – three of those coming in the Champions League alone.

Watch: Jonny Burkardt, a natural-born goalscorer

Although Burkardt will lead the line for Frankfurt, he will be surrounded by a strong supporting cast. And, even though rising star Can Uzun, who has six goals and three assists to his name in all tournaments, is unavailable due to injury, Toppmöller has plenty of other options at his disposal.

Farès Chaïbi, for example, leads the Bundesliga’s assists charts with five, and Ritsu Dōan, Ansgar Knauff and Jean-Mattéo Bahoya have all found the back of the net on at least three occasions across the term.

All in all, only Bayern Munich have netted more than Eintracht’s 22 goals in the German top flight in 2025/26, further underlining Frankfurt’s threat in the final third, and they will fancy their chances of adding to their Champions League tally of seven goals against a side who were on the end of a 6-2 hammering at the hands of PSV Eindhoven last time out.

Admittedly, Frankfurt could do with a positive result considering their recent European outings, having lost 5-1 in successive matches against Atlético Madrid and Liverpool. However, the game against the latter appears to have been followed by more defensive solidity in Frankfurt.

On Matchday 8, they secured their first Bundesliga clean sheet of the season in their 2-0 win over St. Pauli, before conceding just once against in-form Borussia Dortmund over 120 minutes in the DFB Cup, ultimately losing on penalties.

Against Heidenheim on Matchday 9, they again conceded just once in a 1-1 draw. Their task in Naples will only be made easier by the fact that the reigning Serie A champions’ creator-in-chief Kevin De Bruyne, formerly of Wolfsburg and Werder Bremen, is unavailable due to injury.

Watch: Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0 St. Pauli - highlights

Generally, Frankfurt have a relatively strong record against Italian clubs. Of their 16 such meetings, they have won seven, drawn three and lost six. Nevertheless, it is their away record in recent times that will boost their confidence in particular.

Toppmöller’s men have proven difficult to beat on their travels. In their last 14 matches away from home, they have lost just three, with two of those coming against perennial Champions League challengers Atlético and 2023/24 Bundesliga winners Bayer Leverkusen. That run includes a Europa League win over Ajax and a draw at Tottenham Hotspur, who went on to win the competition last season.

Frankfurt worked hard to qualify for this competition this season and will be eager to build some momentum as soon as possible. Against Napoli, they can prove to everyone that they deserve to compete at the highest level.