Royale Union Saint-Gilloise vs Eintracht Frankfurt

Eintracht Frankfurt head to Lotto Park to take on Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in the first leg of their Europa Conference League knockout playoff tie.

Royale Union Saint-Gilloise set up this tie with a famous 2-1 home triumph against understrength Liverpool in December, securing a third-place finish in Europa League Group E. That victory maintained their near-flawless home record in European competition this season (W3, D1). Back at Lotto Park, the home venue of cross-city rivals Anderlecht, they’re looking to tip an evenly-balanced all-time record against German clubs in European competition into their favor (W2, D2, L2). Translating their formidable domestic form to the European front would be a recipe, considering Union SG’s stunning unbeaten league of 19 matches (W15, D4) dating back to mid-September!

Visiting Eintracht Frankfurt made it out of the Europa Conference League group stages as runners-up in their respective group despite losing their last two matches to section-toppers PAOK and third-placed Aberdeen. Continental travels have proved unproductive for ‘Die Adler’ of late as they’ve claimed just two wins in their last seven European away games (D1, L4), casting further doubt on their bid to improve on a lackluster form at the start of the new calendar year. Indeed, Dino Toppmoller’s men have blown hot and cold across their last four Bundesliga matches (W1, D2, L1), leading to their relegation to sixth in the standings. But Frankfurt can’t find comfort in their results on Belgian soil, having won just one of their four previous visits to the country.