Eintracht Frankfurt vs Barcelona. Prediction and Preview. Probable Lineups, Team News, Stats and more
Eintracht Frankfurt will host Barcelona at the Deutsche Bank Park in the UEFA Europa League quarter-final, first leg. The match will take place on March 08, beginning at 00:30 IST.
Eurocup week has already pleased us with a bunch of awesome matches. As usual, the Europa League matches await us at the end. In one of the quarterfinal pairs, Eintracht will clash with Barcelona. Duel between a giant of European football and a fairly modest small club – both in terms of history and as of today. Barcelona failed the first half of the season under Ronald Koeman and that’s the only reason they ended up in the UEL; with their current form and kind of football they would easily qualify for the Champions League semifinals.
In this contrast, Eintracht seems a small and underrated club – perhaps the effect of the outsider is the main chance of the Eagles for tomorrow. If Barça underestimate the Germans, a sensation is possible; if they approach the match with absolute concentration – well, then we will see another show from Xavi’s team. How many have we seen in the last two months?
Will the stars from Catalonia be able to achieve a good result in Frankfurt am Main? Will the match be easy?
Parimatchnews will tell you everything you need to know ahead of the upcoming match.
Eintracht Frankfurt News & Current Form:
Oliver Glasner’s team were unbeaten in the Europa League group stage, where their opponents were Olympiacos, Fenerbahce and Antwerp. Curiously, the Eagles beat the second-placed Greeks twice, but they took only two points against the last-placed Belgians.
The Bundesliga mid-table side made it to the Europa League quarterfinals thanks to a hard-fought victory over Betis. It was a very equal and entertaining encounter, the result of which was decided by the Spaniards` goalkeeper`s mistake on 121 (!) minutes.
In general, the Eagles are a pretty open team, It’s not usual for them to dig themselves up in their own penalty area. Their attack is built on the flanks – Filip Kostic is very skilled and can surprise; Lindstrøm is quick and often breaks through to the front. The center-forward is the weak link. In defense the monumental figure of Hinteregger stands out – a huge, but quick defender. As long as he’s on the field, Barça’s crosses won’t work.
Eintracht’s problem is two things. First, its form – it has only 1 win in the last 7 home matches. That is, the factor of the stands is useless. Well, secondly, against the current Barça the most effective is to ‘park the bus’, and the Eagles are the team used to attack more than defend. After 28 rounds their goal difference is 39-38. In the UEL, Oliver Glasner’s team has conceded in 8 games out of 9. With Culés they will either reorganize themselves and play a la Simeone, or… lose with a thrashing score.
At the moment, the Europa League is probably the only opportunity to get into the European competitions next season, because in the Bundesliga, six rounds before the finish, the Frankfurt side are in 9th place, five points behind Hoffenheim, who are on the edge of the Eurocup zone. And with such results, as, for example, a recent home draw with the Bundesliga aboslute outsider Groiter, they will not move any higher. And there have been quite a few such unnecessary setbacks during the season.
Barcelona News & Current Form:
The Catalans had fallen to the Europa League from the Champions League, finishing only third in the group with Bayern Munich, Benfica and Dynamo Kyiv. Ronald Koeman laid the foundations for the failure, but under Xavi the Blaugranas missed a good chance to beat the Portuguese, failing to overcome them at Camp Nou to have a chance to remain in UCL. In Europa League, it appears that Barça have come for the trophy, and are currently the main favorite of the tournament. In the knockout rounds, Xavi’s side beat Napoli 4-2 on the road after a home draw. The Catalans also failed to win at home against Galatasaray (0-0), but earned a ticket to the next round in Istanbul – 2-1.
Don`t miss out 👉: Barcelona comes out unscathed against Galatasaray, West Ham United knocks out Sevilla
Barcelona have been doing even better lately in La Liga, where they currently have a six-match winning streak and a 14-match unbeaten streak. Thanks to all these successes, the Blaugranas moved up to 2nd place in the table, catching up with Sevilla, who were defeated in their encounter at the Camp Nou last weekend, and keeping pace with Atletico Madrid, but with a game in hand. Thus, the Catalans practically ensured themselves a place in the top four and a ticket to the Champions League next season, but they will certainly fight for the winning of the Europa League. At the same time, it is unlikely that Xavi’s team will win the league title – too much was lost in the first half of the season.
Don`t miss out 👉: Atlético Madrid thrashes Deportivo Alavés 4-1, Real Madrid back on the winning track
Eintracht Frankfurt season form guide (all competitions): W-W-W-D-D-D
Barcelona season form guide (all competitions): W-D-W-W-W-W
Eintracht Frankfurt vs Barcelona Head-To-Head Record:
The teams have never met at the European arena. Eintracht very rarely ever make it to the Eurocups. And Barcelona has not played in the Europa League before. So it is not surprising that the Germans have not crossed paths with the Catalans.
Eintracht Frankfurt vs Barcelona Madrid Predicted XI:
Eintracht Frankfurt Predicted XI (3-4-3): Kevin Trapp; Obite Evan Ndicka, Martin Hinteregger, Tuta; Ansgar Knauff, Filip Kostic, Kristijan Jakic, Djibril Sow; Jesper Lindstrom, Daichi Kamada, Rafael Borre
Barcelona Predicted XI (4-3-3): Marc-Andre ter Stegen; Jordi Alba, Eric Garcia, Ronald Araujo, Sergino Dest; Sergio Busquets, Frenkie de Jong, Pedri; Ferran Torres, Adama Traore, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Statistical preview of the match Eintracht Frankfurt vs Barcelona:
- The unbeaten streak of Barça is already 13 games.
- In the previous five matches the Blaugrana conceded only one goal.
- The series of matches in the Europa League, in which the team Eintracht concedes a goal, is 6 games.
- The scoring streak of Eintracht team in the Europa League is 8 matches.
- Eintracht has a 8 match unbeaten streak in the Europa League.
What has been said before the match:
Oliver Glasner at the pre-match press conference
“The team, the club and the fans deserve this game. We’re having an excellent Europa League season, we’re unbeaten and we’re hoping to make it to the semi-finals. Internationally, it’s the biggest game of my career. But the players and the game are important. We want to get our game and our strengths onto the pitch.
“We don’t want to defend for 90 minutes on the last 30 meters, but use our strengths. We’ve also shown against top teams that we can create several top-class chances. With the necessary efficiency, goals are possible. We will have to run a lot, Barcelona is very ball-secure. We’re not going into the game exclusively to slow down Barcelona’s offense, but to look for our own chances. I would never sign a draw before the game. It can look different afterwards. But the approach is always the same. It doesn’t matter whether I’m playing against Barca or anyone else.”
Xavi and Ferran Torres:
Don`t miss out 👉: RB Leipzig vs Atalanta: Preview and Prediction
Eintracht Frankfurt vs Barcelona Prediction:
Eintracht would have a better chance if they played catenaccio, but that’s not their type of football. With the Germans trying to attack, in some ways it will be even easier for Barça than against Galatasaray. And even more so than in the recent game against Sevilla.
Eintracht will not surrender without a fight – definitely. Most likely, the Eagles can score a goal, but in our opinion, the hosts will not win in any way – at most a stray draw. Barcelona comes to the match in a great shape, they concede very little, the home stand is not a panacea for the Germans either – they produce badly at home. We expect a win for the Catalans.
Parimatch News staff prediction:
We say: Barcelona to win and the match total less than 3.5 – Yes.