The situation
The Eagles showed strong character to rescue a point in stoppage time at Mainz on Sunday. The result means Dino Toppmöller’s side remain unbeaten this season going into their second consecutive midweek fixture. “It was important not to lose at Mainz,” said goalscorer Omar Marmoush, who’s optimistic about the upcoming clash with Levski Sofia. “That gives us a different feeling going into the match, with more confidence.” The second leg against the Bulgarians gets under way at 20:30 CEST this Thursday, 31 August, at Frankfurt Stadium.
A win would see SGE achieve something historic. They’d become the first German club to have participated in all six major European club competitions – UEFA Europa Conference League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Cup, European Cup and UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup. The visitors from Sofia are hoping for the same feat, having last appeared in a European group stage in 2010, then in the Europa League.
Home meets away strength
Eintracht are unbeaten in eight home games in all competitions, registering four wins and four draws in that time. Their last defeat on home soil was a 2-0 loss against SSC Napoli in the last 16 of the Champions League in February of this year.
At the same time, Levski travel to Frankfurt unbeaten in their last four European away outings (W2 D2) and are chasing the club record of five successive away games without defeat in continental competition, set in 2006.
Kolo Muani’s streak
Someone who’s been a guarantor of the Eagles’ success in recent weeks will be looking to help his side progress again on Thursday night. Striker Randal Kolo Muani has scored three of Eintracht’s last four goals in Europe, including the early opener in the first leg in Sofia. Across all competitions, the Frenchman has netted in each of his last six appearances at home, scoring seven times in total. No other player has managed such a run since the Eagles’ return to the Bundesliga in 2012
Match info
Kick-off: 31 August 2023, 20:30 CEST
Stadium: Frankfurt Stadium, Frankfurt am Main