Curtain up for Eintracht Frankfurt’s “game of the century”: In the Europa League quarter-finals, the Hessians meet the great FC Barcelona. The first leg in the Stadtwald kicks off at 9 p.m (can be heard in the hr-iNFO audio stream).
the initial situation
Two teams, Eintracht Frankfurt and FC Barcelona, one of which makes it to the semi-finals. This is the starting point on paper. Of course it’s not that easy, the Hessians go into the duel with the Catalans as big outsiders. Barca are usually used to Champions League evenings and other calibers, for Frankfurt it is, according to the chairman of the supervisory board, Philip Holzer, “the game of the century”.
Of course, Eintracht is not without a chance. On the one hand, the Hessians have shown brilliant performances again and again this season, especially in the European Cup, on the other hand, there is still the pound from the ranks in Frankfurt: Since then Fürth game the active fan scene is back, there should be an impressive choreography before the game. And during the game it is then: with twelve men against eleven exceptional kickers.
The staff
Eintracht Frankfurt goes into the game with a full band, only unlucky Christopher Lenz is missing injured. “Everyone who is nominated is ready for action and is in the squad,” said Glasner at the press conference before the game.
Meanwhile, FC Barcelona will be without striker Memphis Depay. The Dutchman is suffering from a strain in his left thigh. Also missing is defender Sergiño Dest, who could be replaced by Ronald Araújo. Samuel Umtiti is also unwell with a broken toe.
Eintracht could play like this:
Here’s how Barca could play: Ter Stegen – Araújo, Piqué, Eric García, Jordi Alba – De Jong, Busquets, Pedri – Traoré, Aubameyang, Ferran Torres
That’s what the coaches say
Oliver Glasner: “We’re enjoying everything around us. The city and the fans deserve this game. The most important thing will be that we don’t align everything with Barcelona. We have to put our strengths on the pitch. With the necessary efficiency, we can also score goals. We’re looking We always have chances. We hope it doesn’t end in the quarter-finals.”
Xavier Hernández: “They are well organised, physically very strong, the transition game can also be highlighted, they can create chances in three or four seconds. We have good dynamics and want to dominate the game through possession and pressing. It will be a game of the century for them. We need the same motivation as they do.”
You have to watch out for these players
You can say it before the cracker against Barcelona: It’s quite good, Eintracht keeper Kevin Trapp has been in excellent form for months. The Hessians also need a Trapp in top form against the Catalans, otherwise it should be more than difficult. But it’s good that Frankfurt’s number one also has an additional motivation. In a direct duel with Barca keeper Marc-André ter Stegen, he can prove that he is number two in the DFB team behind Manuel Neuer.
At a World selection like Barcelona it’s not that easy to pick an actor. However, one player has been proving just how important he is to the Catalans for more than a dozen years: Sergio Busquets. The homegrown talent, now captain of the Xavi team, is the brains of the team, the player who pulls all the strings together. If the now 33-year-old doesn’t get going, Barcelona’s tiki-taka stutters. So there is no question who should be taken out of the game.
The statistics of the game
Any good news at the end? No problem. The first: Eintracht Frankfurt has never lost at home in their own European history from the quarter-finals onwards. If that stays that way, the Hessians can still progress in the second leg in a week’s time at the Camp Nou.
And the second piece of good news: since the Champions League triumph in 2015, Barca have lost four of their five European quarter-finals. So the round of eight is far from a good omen for the Catalans. Maybe it’ll stay that way this season…
Source: HR