Rock-solid Eintracht Frankfurt hold Napoli on UEFA Champions League Matchday 4

Eintracht Frankfurt earned a valuable point on UEFA Champions League Matchday 4 with a disciplined defensive showing in a goalless draw at Serie A leaders Napoli.

Napoli 0-0 Eintracht Frankfurt

Given that Frankfurt suffered 5-1 defeats in their previous two outings in the competition, against both Liverpool and Atlético de Madrid, it was perhaps understandable that head coach Dino Toppmöller set his side up defensively against the Italian champions, with the Eagles in a 5-4-1 against the ball at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

Eintracht Frankfurt were forced onto the back foot for much of the game against Napoli, but held on well. - IMAGO/Andrea Staccioli / Insidefoto

Still, they managed to have the game’s first chance when Jean-Mattéo Bahoya drilled straight at Vanja Milinković-Savić from the edge of the box inside three minutes.

That was about as good as it got going forward from a Frankfurt perspective in the first half, as the Eagles were otherwise pinned back near their own penalty area for large periods.

RB Leipzig loanee Eljif Elmas was particularly lively down the left for Napoli, but although the home side had more of the ball they struggled to create any real danger against a resolute Eintracht rearguard.

Elmas was involved again early in the second half as Napoli carved out their clearest opportunity, the North Macedonian attacker scampering down the left and crossing into the middle for Scott McTominay, but he could only scuff his shot wide from close to the penalty spot. 

Ansgar Knauff could have put Frankfurt in front against the run of play when Napoli failed to clear Rasmus Kristensen’s cross from the right, but his stinging drive from the corner of the six-yard box was palmed away by Milinković-Savić.

McTominay could have won it for the hosts in the closing stages when Frank Anguissa escaped his marker down the right and cut the ball back into the box for the former Manchester United midfielder, but he skewed his first-time effort well over the bar.

Ansgar Knauff had Frankfurt's best chance of the game when he stung the palms of goalkeeper Vanja Milinković-Savić. - IMAGO/Antonio Balasco

Match stats

• This was only the second time in 15 games this season that Frankfurt failed to find the net. 
• It was the third clean sheet the Eagles claimed this season after a Bundesliga match against St. Pauli and DFB Cup tie vs. Engers.
• Frankfurt beat Napoli 2-0 on aggregate in the 1994/95 UEFA Cup round of 16, but went down 5-0 over two legs at the same stage in the 2022/23 Champions League.
• Injured Napoli midfielder Kevin De Bruyne made 85 Bundesliga appearances across spells with Werder Bremen and Wolfsburg, registering 23 goals and 36 assists.
• Napoli’s Jesper Lindstrøm, who is currently on loan at Wolfsburg, was part of the Frankfurt team that went unbeaten on their way to winning the 2021/22 Europa League.

Teams

Napoli: Milinković-Savić - Di Lorenzo (c), Rrahmani, Buongiorno, Gutiérrez - Anguissa, Lobotka (Lang 74'), McTominay - Politano (Neres 65'), Højlund, Elmas
Unused subs: Contini, Ferrante, Jesus, Olivera, Vergara, Buekema, Ambrosino
Out: De Bruyne (hamstring), Gilmour (groin), Lucca (suspended), Lukaku (hamstring), Meret (foot), Spinazzola (groin)
Coach: Antonio Conte

Frankfurt: Zetterer - Collins, Koch (c), Theate - Kristensen, Chaïbi (Dahoud 90'+3), Larsson (Skhiri 79'), Brown (Amenda 90'+3) - Götze, Bahoya (Knauff 65') - Burkardt
Unused subs: Grahl, Kauã Santos, Wahi, Dōan, Chandler, Buta, Batshuayi
Out: Baum (hamstring), Højlund (thigh), Ngankam (ineligible), Uzun (hamstring)
Coach: Dino Toppmöller

As it happened!

0 - 0

(0 - 0)

Napoli

FINAL

Frankfurt

Champions League
League phase, Matchday 4 League phase, Matchday 4 Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Naples

Full-time: Napoli 0-0 Eintracht Frankfurt

Frankfurt grind out an away point in extremely gritty style at the Italian champions and leaders! While the hosts had more efforts, the Eagles stepped up in the second half and there can be few complaints about the result, which takes Eintracht to four points in the league phase.

© Francesco Pecoraro

Full-time

90'

+ 5

Late Napoli pressure

The hosts head forward for a final attacking salvo, winning a corner and Højlund forcing a save from Zetterer with a volley.

90'

+ 3

Substitution

Mahmoud Dahoud

Farès Chaïbi

90'

+ 3

Substitution

Aurèle Amenda

Nathaniel Brown

90'

Five additional minutes indicated

Zetterer is penalised for time wasting as his side come within minutes of a valuable away point.

90'

Yellow card

Michael Zetterer

89'

Di Lorenzo over

Napoli come forward again, but Di Lorenzo blasts well clear of the crossbar after the ball falls to him on the edge of the area.

86'

Brown gets to the edge of the box

Yet again Frankfurt create some danger, with Nathaniel Brown chasing to the edge of the box from the left and firing what could have been a shot or a cross well off-target.

83'

McTominay misses

A dangerous moment occurs straight after that Frankfurt corner, as Napoli break and McTominay is found all alone at the far post but blasts over.

82'

Another Frankfurt corner

The boys in black are pushing as we enter the final phase, but Napoli clear with ease...

80'

Frankfurt threaten from a corner

Koch has a header cleared shortly after Chaïbi sends the corner in, and a dangerous Götze cross from the right is accidentally turned on his own goal by Gutiérrez before it is saved.

79'

Substitution

Ellyes Skhiri

Hugo Larsson

78'

Gutiérrez goes wide

The Napoli full-back takes aim from the left and misses handsomely.

76'

Theate hooks the ball away

The ball runs loose around the Frankfurt area, and Arthur Theate does wonderfully to smash clear.

73'

Knauff could have grabbed the lead!

Götze works the ball over to Knauff on the left of the area, with a little help from a defender, and the substitute smashes a shot in that Milinković-Savić does well to save.

Will we see a breakthrough?

A goal doesn't look likely at either end, but Frankfurt have certainly shown more attacking ambition in the second period.

© Francesco Pecoraro

68'

Koch blocks McTominay

The ball reaches the Scottish midfielder in the box, but Robin Koch is right over to get a block in!

65'

Attacking switch

Ansgar Knauff, who some may have been surprised not to see named in the starting line-up tonight, is brought on to try to make an impact in the final 25 minutes.

65'

Substitution

Ansgar Knauff

Jean-Mattéo Bahoya

64'

Ouch!

Jonathan Burkardt trips over a television camera on the sideline, and the game is paused while he can receive some treatment.

62'

Another Napoli corner

Elmas clips the ball in from the left, but Frankfurt are remaining alert at the back. There might be signs this game is opening up a little though...

59'

Kristensen tries to seize the initiative

The Frankfurt full-back bursts past Gutiérrez before blasting a shot wide, and is penalised for a foul in any case.

57'

Pair of Napoli corners

The hosts respond with a good spell of their own. Two corners in quick succession lead only to a free-kick to Frankfurt though when Zetterer is fouled in the box.

52'

Chaïbi cuts one in

Frankfurt's fine spell continues, with the ball being worked around to Chaïbi just outside the area, whose shot rolls along the ground to Milinković-Savić.

51'

Burkardt bundled down

The first booking of the game goes the hosts' way as Burkardt chases a ball hit behind the defence and gets blocked by Rrahmani.

50'

Yellow card

Amir Rrahmani

48'

First corner to Frankfurt

The Eagles do go on the front foot at the start of the second half and win the game's first corner, which Chaïbi whips in from the left, but Napoli clear.

46'

Off we go again

The Bundesliga outfit start the second half - let's see if they take a riskier approach, or will they be happy to see this through for an away point?

Kick-off!

Half-time: Napoli 0-0 Eintracht Frankfurt

A very pleasing half of football for Frankfurt given their defensive issues earlier in this campaign. The Eagles have got men back and denied the Serie A leaders virtually any openings, but they haven't been able to take the ball forward much themselves at all.

© ANDREAS SOLARO

Half-time

45'

Into stoppage time

We are due an additional minute in Naples.

40'

Anguissa over

Elmas and Gutiérrez link up on the left before it is cut back to Anguissa, who fires well over the bar from 20 yards out.

Steely Eagles

Eintracht's big defensive effort is looking more confident as this first half progresses, although nearly all the action remains in their half of the field.

© IMAGO/Andrea Staccioli / Insidefoto

33'

Di Lorenzo takes aim

Napoli finally work the ball to the edge of the Eintracht area once more, but Arthur Theate is out right away to block his shot.

29'

No real advantage

For all Napoli's possession, the Bundesliga side's defence have done a fine job at restricting them so far.

Shots

2

2

26'

Quieter...

Frankfurt have successfully kept Napoli well away from their goal for the past five minutes, as perhaps they are getting more of a foothold on the play...

21'

Frankfurt free-kick

There is a scramble in the Frankfurt area after Elmas clips a free-kick in from the left, but Buongiorno is penalised for a foul.

Battling away

Dino Toppmöller would have liked his side to see a bit more of the play, but they have restricted Napoli to few chances so far, despite their dominance.

© ANDREAS SOLARO

18'

Eagles emerge

Frankfurt get a rare spell on the ball in the Napoli half. It's played back to Koch, who floats a high pass into the area intended for Kristensen that eventually runs out of play for a Napoli throw-in.

15'

Napoli on the ball

The hosts are bossing the early possession...

Possession (%)

77

23

12'

Elmas again!

The attacker twists into the area and fires an effort in that Zetterer saves.

11'

Elmas effort

The attacker on loan from Leipzig fires well over from just outside the area.

9'

Frankfurt sitting back

The Eagles, perhaps with their recent heavy defeats against Atletico Madrid and Liverpool in mind, are getting plenty of players back and soaking up the hosts' attempts to attack by passing the ball around in their half.

6'

Zetterer springs into action

The Eintracht goalkeeper gets out to block Højlund with his feet after Gutiérrez played a dangerous cross into the area from the left.

3'

Bahoya has a go

Jean-Mattéo Bahoya fires the first shot of the evening in, drilling an effort from the edge of the area straight to Milinković-Savić after Brown won the ball around the halfway line.

Off we go!

The Eagles are in action against the Serie A leaders!

© IMAGO/Antonio Balasco

Kick-off!

Five-minute warning

Buckle up - the Champions League action gets underway early this week from a Bundesliga perspective in Naples.

© IMAGO/Antonio Balasco

Up against it

A win for Frankfurt tonight would be quite a coup, as Napoli have lost only one of their previous 18 home matches in the Champions League.

2:31

Burkardt in beast mode

The Frankfurt striker is the only player at the club on two goals already in the Champions League's league phase.

The Eagles are out

There will be no Frankfurt fans inside the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona tonight, however.

© IMAGO/Domenico Cippitelli/IPA Sport / ipa-agency.net

More on that Napoli team

Antonio Conte makes three changes to the side that drew 0-0 against Como at the weekend, with Gutiérrez, Lobotka and Elmas (pictured), who is on loan to the Italian champions from RB Leipzig, coming in.

© DFL/Getty Images/Lukas Schulze

More on that Frankfurt team

Dino Toppmöller makes as many as five changes to the side that started the 1-1 draw at Heidenheim on Saturday. Collins, Chaïbi, Bahoya, Burkardt and Götze (pictured) all come in, with the 2014 World Cup winner replacing the injured Can Uzun as expected. Ritsu Dōan is among the players named on the bench.

© IMAGO/BEAUTIFUL SPORTS/Gawlik

Napoli starting XI

Milinković-Savić - Di Lorenzo (c), Rrahmani, Buongiorno, Gutiérrez - Anguissa, Lobotka, McTominay - Politano, Højlund, Elmas

Napoli subs

Contini, Ferrante, Jesus, Neres, Olivera, Vergara, Buekema, Ambrosino, Lang

Frankfurt starting XI

Zetterer - Collins, Koch (c), Theate - Kristensen, Chaïbi, Larsson, Brown - Götze, Bahoya - Burkardt

Frankfurt subs

Grahl, Kauã Santos, Amenda, Knauff, Skhiri, Wahi, Dahoud, Dōan, Chandler, Buta, Batshuayi

Antonio Conte on facing Frankfurt

“We’re facing a strong team, but we’ll give everything to secure the win. At this level, all opponents are strong. However, we have the ambition and the quality to compete at the European level as well. The important thing is to win. Then we can improve our position in the Champions League. We have to keep finding new ways, as well as alternatives in our build-up play and with our players.”

© ALBERTO PIZZOLI

Theate on Napoli's high-profile absentees

“Napoli will be without two of my compatriots in Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku on Tuesday," said Frankfurt's Belgian defender Arthur Theate. "That’s obviously better for us given the quality they have. Kevin is one of the best players in the world, but Napoli still have other good players they can field.”

© IMAGO/Antonio Balasco

Jan Fießer on facing Napoli

Dino Toppmöller was unable to attend Eintracht’s pre-match press conference due to illness, so his assistant Jan Fießer (pictured) filled in for him. “Their whole team can be dangerous," said the 38-year-old. "Napoli are a really tough nut to crack. They’ve got an unbelievable intensity in their high press, so it’ll be a huge challenge to deal with that and to create chances.”

© IMAGO/Antonio Balasco

2:32

Watch: Golden Brown

Full-back Nathaniel Brown is another Frankfurt player whose star is on the ascendency, with a first cap for the German national team last month.

Neighbours in the table

Eintracht go into the match one spot above Napoli in the league phase table in 22nd, with both teams on three points, but Frankfurt having a slightly better goal difference. As things stand, both would just make the cut for the knockout stage play-off in February.

Corner turned?

Defensive issues have hampered Frankfurt so far this season - but there does seem to be some improvement in that regard, with just two goals conceded in their last three domestic matches since Michael Zetterer took over as first-choice goalkeeper recently.

© XX / DFL/Getty/Fabio Deinert

Napoli so far in 2025/26

The Serie A reigning champions are top of the Italian top flight once again, leading from Inter Milan by one point. However, they too have just one win from their opening three Champions League matches this term, having lost 2-0 to Manchester City and 6-2 at PSV last time out.

Uzun out

Frankfurt were suffered a blow at the weekend as Can Uzun was forced off with a hamstring injury that has ruled him out for the foreseeable future. Dino Toppmöller will hope his side can pick up the win without his star teenager.

© IMAGO/HMB Media/Claus

1:06

Watch: Heidenheim 1-1 Eintracht Frankfurt - highlights

Frankfurt prepared for this encounter with a share of the spoils at Heidenheim in the Bundesliga.

12:30

Watch: Discover Eintracht Frankfurt

Theate expects 'different' Frankfurt

"I expect better than what we showed in the last two games because we have the quality," the Belgium international defender told us. "We played Liverpool and Atlético when our confidence wasn’t high — and against teams like that, you can’t hide. Now, in our current form, I think people will see a different, more confident Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League, because we have a different mentality."

© XX / XX

The story so far...

After an emphatic 5-1 thumping of Galatasaray to start the league phase, Frankfurt had the tables turned on them as they went down by the same scoreline to both Atletico Madrid and Liverpool.

© IMAGO/Michael Zemanek/Shutterstock

Welcome!

Welcome along and thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of Eintracht Frankfurt's Champions League encounter with Napoli on Matchday 4 of the league phase, which kicks off at 6:45pm CET on Tuesday.

About the clubs

Eintracht Frankfurt

Deutsche Bank Park