IT'S a massive week for Aberdeen as this final Europa Conference League clash with Eintracht Frankurt is followed just a few days later by a League Cup Final against Rangers.
While the Dons have put in some good displays in Europe, including a creditable 2-1 defeat in Frankfurt, this closing game at Pittodrie is a dead rubber with Eintracht and PAOK already assured of going through.
The only thing yet to be decided is if Aberdeen finish above HJK Helsinki in third, with Barry Robson's side sitting one point ahead of the Finns after coming from 2-0 down to salvage a point in Helsinki last time out.
With HJK in Greece to face PAOK, even a defeat to Frankfurt probably still wouldn't send Aberdeen to the bottom and I've a feeling Robson will field a shadow side to keep his top men fresh for the Hampden showdown with Rangers.
He rested a few big hitters in Helsinki but the Dons still managed to dip deep for a draw, bringing up a bet for our man Mark. I'd expect Robson to do the same here and Dino Toppmoller has confirmed he will also field a weakened Frankfurt team.
His side ended a four-game winless run in style at the weekend as they battered Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich 5-1 in Frankfurt. But they still sit just seventh in the table and have a couple of tough domestic games looming with a trip to leaders Leverkusen followed by a visit from Monchengladbach.
Those are Eintracht Frankfurt's final two games before the winter break so Toppmoller is giving a few big guns the night off at Pittodrie to keep them fresh for that domestic double-header. But he has also promised he won't “be giving the game away” and Eintracht have plenty of quality in reserve.
How the bookies view it
It's no great surprise to see Eintracht Frankfurt as hot favourites and their best price is just 13/20 at William Hill. Aberdeen are as big as 9/2 at Bet365 while the draw pays 33/10 at Midnite.
Head to head
That 2-1 win on the opening night of the Conference League continued Eintracht Frankfurt's unbeaten run against the Aberdeen. They've won two of the three meetings but the only clash at Pittodrie ended in a 1-1 draw back in 1979 in the UEFA Cup.
Players to watch
Shayden Morris has come off the bench in Aberdeen's last two games after a lengthy injury absence. He could get a start in this one and might trouble Frankfurt's makeshift defence with his pace. The Englishman is 17/2 at SkyBet for anytime scorer but might be more likely for an assist, although I can't find any prices for that market.
Norwegian winger Jens Hauge has gone off the radar a little since his big breakthrough with Bodo/Glimt and has yet to score for Frankfurt since signing from AC Milan. But he could get a start here and might get some joy against a second-string Dons side. Hauge is 14/5 for anytime scorer with BetVictor.
Anything else catch the eye?
With both teams set to field shadow sides this could be a bit of a non-event. So I'm going to bet against a lot of goals, with under 2.5 goals paying 6/5 with most firms. Betting against BTTS also appeals and that pays 5/4 with Unibet.
Betting against cards could also pay off as neither side will want to pick up injuries ahead of big domestic games but I've yet to see a market on total cards. There are prices for corners and I'm going to bet against a lot of them too. Backing under 10 corners pays 5/6 at Bet365 who price under five first-half corners at 10/11.
This UEFA Europa League Conference match between Aberdeen and Eintracht Frankfurt will be played on Dec 14, 2023 and kick off at 17:45. Check below for our tipsters best Aberdeen vs Eintracht Frankfurt prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
