Hardly any club lives the competition as much as the Hessians, who threw Betis Sevilla out of the competition at the last minute and FC Barcelona splendidly at the Camp Nou. More than 30,000 supporters were in Barcelona, around 10,000 in London for the first leg: If the jump to Seville is successful, where a German final against RB Leipzig could be waiting in two weeks, tens of thousands should also go to Andalusia. “We want to go to Seville, we made it through half-time and we did it damn well,” said President Peter Fischer.
The euphoria in fan circles seems boundless. The club could have sold more than 100,000 tickets for the second leg, a round earlier against Barça it was almost 300,000. Glasner and his team are also looking better in terms of personnel: Evan Ndicka and Kristijan Jakic are returning after suspensions, Martin Hinteregger is back after an illness.
“The clear route is to play forward. That has to be our approach. We’re leading 2-1, but we’re not resting on our laurels,” announced Glasner, who identifies with Frankfurt and recently as an ice hockey fan in the standing room block with the lions looked at confidently. He was sitting on the press podium in a T-shirt, completely relaxed and in a good mood. It could be a golden spring for him after he was criticized in the summer for leaving Champions League club Wolfsburg.
After the 2019 final, which was missed by a hair’s breadth – when Frankfurt only failed on penalties at Chelsea – the penultimate step should succeed this time. A football holiday is expected in the Main metropolis, the police are on high alert. Because more than 5,000 Englishmen are expected in the city, numerous officials will be on duty. The aim is to strictly separate the two fan groups on the day of the match.
In addition to the UEFA celebrities, Eintracht invited other guests to the very special evening in its arena. The former coaches Friedhelm Funkel, Armin Veh, Niko Kovac and Adi Hütter should sit in the stands. “You can understand what these special moments of unity mean,” said Hellmann, referring to previous important games in European competition.
Glasner’s predecessor Hütter left the club last summer, after a weak sporting end it was a separation with background noise. “It’s the right time to check off a few things from the past and smooth them out,” Hellmann announced now with a view to Hütter’s visit. About a year ago, after the departure of Hütter and sports director Fredi Bobic, the Hessians faced a highly uncertain future. Now two games separate them from winning a huge and prestigious silver trophy.