Eintracht Frankfurt vs Barcelona Preview:
Possible starting lineups:
Eintracht Frankfurt:
Trapp; Hinteregger, Ndicka, Tuta; Knauff, Sow, Jakic, Kostic; Kamada, Lindstrom; Borre
Barcelona:
Ter Stegen; Araujo, Pique, Garcia, Alba; Pedri, Busquets, De Jong; Traore, Aubameyang, Torres
Eintracht Frankfurt welcome Barcelona to the Deutsche Bank Park for the first leg of their quarter-final tie on Thursday evening. The Catalans are favorites for the semi-finals, as well as favorites for the trophy. However, the German side should not be underestimated. They have already eliminated La Liga outfit Betis. The Germans won 2:1 in Spain, but lost 1:0 in Frankfurt. The match was decided in extra time when Filip Kostic's free kick, plus a mix-up between goalkeeper Rui Silva and midfielder Guido Rodriguez resulted with an own goal that was enough to send Frankfurt through. Since then Oliver Glasner's side have played two matches in domestic Bundesliga and shared the points on both occasions. This is not a bad result considering the opponents were Red Bull Leipzig and Greuther Furth, but something else is a problem - Eintracht Frankfurt failed to score a single goal on the last two matches in the Bundesliga. However, I think the players confidence is high as they are in series of four league matches without defeat. Coach Glasner has no suspension worries, but few players are struggling with injuries. Christopher Lenz and Diant Ramaj will probably miss the match due to calf and knee injury respectively. Daichi Kamada should be available after recovering from a foot injury. Defender Martin Hinteregger is back from a domestic ban and could start here.
Barcelona are main favorites for the trophy in the competition. Xavi is doing an excellent job and I am sure the fans are satisfied with the results. In the first knock-out round they have eliminated the Italian outfit Napoli. After being held to a 1:1 draw at Camp Nou in the first leg, the Blaugrana showed their class by winning 4:2 in Naples. In the second round they secured progress against Turkish side Galatasaray. Once again Barcelona failed to register a victory at Camp Nou as the match finished with a goalless draw. And once again the Catalans won away from home. Brazilian defender Marcao gave the Turkish side the lead in the 28th minute with a diving header from a corner, but Pedri equalized and Pierre Emerick Aubameyang put Barca ahead three minutes into the second half with a close-range header. Barcelona were also good in domestic La Liga, winning six in a row. The last two victims were the biggest rivals Real Madrid and Sevilla. The atmosphere in the squad is positive, while the players confidence is high. But Xavi has some injury worries ahead of the match. Luuk de Jong is still absent due to Coronavirus, while Sergi Roberto, Samuel Umtiti, and Sergino Dest are out injured. Ansu Fati has returned to training with the team, but this match come too soon for him. Dani Alves is ineligible for the Europa League.
Eintracht Frankfurt vs Barcelona Prediction:
I expect an interesting match at the Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt. The Germans will try to secure a positive result at home, but I think they will lose. Barcelona showed they are much better side under Xavi. Playing away from home doesn't look like a problem. Barca already beat Napoli and Galatasaray on road in the previous stages of Europa League. They were also furious at Santiago Bernabeu, winning 4:0 against Real Madrid in domestic La Liga. I expect to win here too.
Eintracht Frankfurt vs Barcelona Pick: Barcelona to win @ 1.69 with
Pinnacle