AS Roma vs. Eintracht Frankfurt preview: Team news and predicted lineups | OneFootball

Eintracht Frankfurt travel to Italy’s capital in hopes of securing a place in the Round of 16 of Europa League. The Eagles took a huge step towards qualification with last week’s 2-0 win over Ferencváros as they currently sit second in the standings. In contrast, Roma need a win to make sure of booking a playoff spot.

After starting the new year with four wins in all competitions, Dino Toppmöller’s side dropped points on the weekend when Adam Hlozek salvaged a draw for Hoffenheim in the 95th minute. As things stand, they’re still in an ideal position to finish in Bundesliga’s top three for the first time in the 21st century.

Meanwhile, Roma’s city rival, Lazio, are the only club above Frankfurt in Europa League’s table after seven rounds. They started their campaign by squandering a two-goal lead at home to Viktoria Plzen before winning five of the next six matches. The only defeat came in their last away fixture at Lyon, incidentally Frankfurt’s only opponent from a top-five league so far in the competition.

Roma’s form improved under veteran coach Claudio Ranieri, but the defeat at Alkmaar left them at a crossroads. Another loss (or even a draw) could see them out of the competition based on results elsewhere from games played simultaneously.

Frankfurt already avoided that concern, and they’ll most likely secure direct qualification to the Round of 16. As such, Toppmöller could go for a bit of tinkering with one eye on Sunday’s clash against Wolfsburg.

However, since Elye Wahi has to wait a little longer for his debut due to ineligibility, Hugo Ekitike will have to do it all by himself once again. Similarly, Roma will not have new signing Devyne Rensch on their side.

As for pending exits, Éric Junior Dina Ebimbe and Mario Hermoso will be unavailable to complete their respective moves to AS Monaco and Bayer Leverkusen. Evan Ndicka, a Europa League winner with Frankfurt, will face his former teammates for the first time since leaving the club at the start of last season.

Click here to see our predicted AS Roma vs. Eintracht Frankfurt lineups.