Eintracht Frankfurt at Besiktas: Staying cool in the cauldron

With Besiktas Istanbul, the first heavyweight in the Europa League awaits Eintracht Frankfurt (live today from 9 p.m. in the radio report and in the ticker at the sports show). Coaches Dino Toppmöller and Robin Koch are looking forward to the atmosphere. However, a player who has been in top form recently will be missing.

We haven’t heard much about the infamous 141 decibels yet. Around the Tüpras Stadium, picturesquely located on the Bosphorus and less picturesquely surrounded by Istanbul’s main traffic arteries, drivers honk passionately. But there is still silence in the stadium itself. A few Besiktas employees are bustling around on the sidelines, one or two advertising banners are being set up, final preparations are being made. The famous calm before the storm.

It is unlikely that the world volume record of 141 decibels, which was measured in Tüpras in 2013, will be broken on Thursday. But it will definitely be deafeningly loud when Eintracht Frankfurt plays against Besiktas Istanbul in the second game of the Europa League season. “We are extremely excited about the game in a cauldron,” said coach Dino Toppmöller on Wednesday at the press conference before the game. But he doesn’t have too much respect for the background noise: “In the end, it’s also very loud in Frankfurt.”

Turkish Cup winner and Supercup winner

With Besiktas, the first real challenge awaits the Hessians, even if their opening opponent Viktoria Pilsen stole a point from Frankfurt. But Besiktas is a different house number, Turkish Cup winner and youngest Super Cup winner, still in action in the league on Monday (3-0 win against Kayserispor), in which they have 16 points from the first six games.

No wonder that Toppmöller reminds us of the basic virtues that his team must heed if they want to take something worthwhile away from the Türpas. “We need a very good intensity when playing against the ball. We have to stay cool with the ball,” says Toppmöller. “We need a high level of self-confidence and the conviction that we have a really good team.”

Cool at the front, stable at the back

Staying cool at the front, stable at the back, that should be the Hessians’ recipe for success in the cauldron. Stability is Robin Koch’s responsibility, and he will expect a bit of work. Not only is he missing his regular partner Tuta, who stayed in Frankfurt because of the birth of his child. Koch will also meet Ciro Immobile, ex-Bundesliga striker and four-time top scorer in Serie A, who is in great shape in the autumn of his career in Istanbul and has already scored six competitive goals for his new employer.

“He has been at the top level for many years and brings a lot of quality with him. “I don’t have to watch so many videos,” says Koch. “It’s important that we keep a cool head and also play with the ball. We have a team against us that has a lot of quality and we have to be good defensively.”

Ekitiké back again

In order to then ideally win the first three points in the Europa League and make up ground in the new league system after the unnecessary draw against Pilsen. Striker Hugo Ekitiké can help again, but Toppmöller will rotate elsewhere with a view to the top Bundesliga game against Bayern next Sunday. “I have that in the back of my mind,” said Toppmöller. “But we will have a powerful team on the pitch.”

On Sunday it’s all about the top spot in the Bundesliga, but Bayern still seem a long way away. The focus is on Besiktas and the Europa League, Koch is full of anticipation, despite the expected volume level: “This is a very special game. Great stadium, good atmosphere. This is what you dream about as a little child.”