Eintracht Frankfurt will enter the Europa League round of 16 with a slightly different squad. Ragnar Ache and newcomer Ansgar Knauff have been re-nominated by the Hessians, but two veterans will have to make way for them.
A club may nominate up to three players after the group stage. It was to be expected that winger Ansgar Knauff would be among them. The 20-year-old came on loan for a year and a half from Borussia Dortmund and is expected to liven up the game, especially on the right side.
The side to miss out is full-back Erik Durm, who played 90 minutes in the first group game against Fenerbahce (1-1) but then only made a brief appearance in the 3-1 defeat to Piraeus. The 29-year-old has also not been in demand in the league for some time. After regular appearances at the beginning of the season, he last played a half on match day 11 in Fürth (2:1).
Glasner also waives Ilsanker
Attacker Ragnar Ache, who somewhat surprisingly did not make it into the Europa League squad five months ago, can rejoice. The 23-year-old striker has been coming in as a wild card on a number of occasions and is now in with a chance of making his Europa League debut in the last 16, which will be played in March.
For Ache, coach Oliver Glasner will do without defensive player Stefan Ilsanker. The 32-year-old is still without an appearance in the second half of the season and only made two brief appearances as a wild card in the group stage.
