Champions League

QAR Qarabağ Qarabağ FK - SGE Frankfurt Eintracht Frankfurt

QAR Qarabağ Qarabağ FK

SGE Frankfurt Eintracht Frankfurt

Wed, 21.01.202617:45 PM

Tofiq Bahramov

Markus Krösche on Toppmöller dismissal

"We have two games left in the Champions League, in which, if everything comes together, we want to qualify for the play-offs. We also have pretty much the entire second half of the season ahead of us, in which we want to continue pursuing the objectives we have as a club: qualifying for European competition. At the end of the day, we as the people in charge must take responsibility and make decisions for the club and our objectives. Unfortunately, this means that individual fates cannot always be taken into account," explained Frankfurt's board member for sport on Monday.

Probable Qarabağ XI

Kochalski - Silva, Mustafazade, Medina, Jafarguliyev - Janković, Bicalho - Andrade, Zoubir (c), Addai - Duran

Probable Frankfurt XI

Zetterer - Collins, Koch (c), Theate, Brown - Skhiri, Chaïbi - Dōan, Uzun, Bahoya - Knauff

Early Frankfurt team news

The Eagles lost Mahmoud Dahoud to injury during their 3-3 draw against Bremen at the weekend, while Rasmus Kristensen suffered a blow to the face and was also forced off - both are doubts here. Michy Batshuayi, Elias Baum, Jonathan Burkardt, Timothy Chandler and Younes Ebnoutalib are all unavailable, but there is good news as Hugo Larsson can feature once more after recovering from illness. Mario Götze also missed the Bremen clash while sick, yet there has been no clarification as to whether he will be able to play here.

Frankfurt part ways with Dino Toppmöller

After Matchday 18's 3-3 draw against Bremen, Frankfurt parted ways with Toppmöller after two and a half years at the helm. Under-21 boss Dennis Schmitt and former striker Alexander Meier have been placed in temporary charge of the Eagles, with Schmitt taking on the more senior role.

1:03

Watch: Bremen 3-3 Frankfurt

The Eagles left it late to earn a point at Bremen on Friday as Knauff proved hero at the death.

0:51

Watch: Arnaud Kalimuendo's great debut

The Frenchman, on loan from Nottingham Forest, shone on his Bundesliga debut for Frankfurt, assisting Younes Ebnoutalib against Borussia Dortmund.

2:10

Watch: The best of Farès Chaïbi

The Algerian has been in excellent form for Frankfurt this season, returning one goal and providing seven assists in 21 appearances across all competitions.

Good omens

Teams that finish between 8th and 24th will partake in a play-off to reach the knockout stages. Currently sitting 30th and four points adrift of 24th, Frankfurt really need a win in Azerbaijan. But, they have a chance. Qarabağ are winless in their previous 10 matches against German opposition with two draws and eight defeats. Frankfurt have also never gone six successive European games without a win.

Frankfurt - the story so far

After winning their Matchday 1 fixture against Galatasaray 5-1, Frankfurt failed to win any of their five games that followed. They come into this game following successive 5-1 defeats against Atlético Madrid and Liverpool before playing out a 0-0 draw in Napoli. The Hessen club then suffered a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Atalanta before a 2-1 loss in Barcelona.

Qarabağ - the story so far

After successive wins against Benfica (3-2) and Copenhagen (2-0) to kickstart their European campaign, Qarabağ are winless in their last four with a 3-1 loss against Athletic Bilbao preceding a commendable 2-2 draw against Chelsea. However, they come into this fixture with consecutive losses against Napoli (2-0) and Ajax (4-2).

Head-to-head

Frankfurt have won both of their previous meetings against Qarabağ, overcoming the Azerbaijani side in their UEFA Europa League qualifier in August 2013, winning 2-0 away before securing a 2-1 win at home to book their place in the group stage. Notably, Alexander Meier scored three of Frankfurt's four goals over the two legs.

Hello and welcome!

Welcome along and thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of the fixture between Qarabağ and Eintracht Frankfurt.