UEFA Europa League Final: Frankfurt vs Rangers preview
The Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan in Seville plays host to the highly-anticipated Europa League final on Wednesday night, as Eintracht Frankfurt and Rangers face off for a shot at continental glory.
Rangers got the better of RB Leipzig in their semi-final to book their spot in a historic showpiece event, while their German counterparts dashed the West Ham United dream.
Rangers head into the clash having got the better of Hearts 3-1 in their Scottish Premiership battle at the weekend, while Frankfurt’s final Bundesliga game of the season saw them draw 2-2 with Mainz.
Not a single soul has faced Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League this term and come out on the winning side. Not Real Betis, not West Ham United, and not even Barcelona have been able to match the superiority of Oliver Glasner’s side in the 2021-22 tournament.
After ending the hopes of Barcelona, Frankfurt made their trip to the English capital worthwhile by claiming a 2-1 semi-final first-leg success over West Ham before completing a famous European endeavour at the Deutsche Bank Park.
Rafael Borre’s third goal of the tournament sealed a 3-1 aggregate success over the Hammers and presented his side with a chance to end a 42-year-long drought in Europe.
In its current format, Frankfurt had only made it as far as the semi-finals in the Europa League before being eliminated by eventual winners Chelsea in 2018-19, but during its UEFA Cup days, Die Adler saw off German counterparts Borussia Monchengladbach in the 1980 final over two legs for their only continental crown to date.
Granted, Glasner did opt to make a wave of early substitutions with the trip to Seville in mind, and Frankfurt have successfully navigated 12 Europa League games without defeat this season en route to their third European final.
Only two sides have ever won the Europa League while remaining unbeaten in the process – Villarreal did so last year following Chelsea’s storming run to the crown three years ago – although Benfica and Inter Milan represent two sides who have finished as runners-up after going without defeat before the final.
Read: Liverpool take title race down to the last Matchday
Ibrox was bouncing. Giovanni Van Bronckhorst was bouncing. John Lundstram was too overwhelmed with emotion to join in on the bouncing. Rangers sought to overcome a 1-0 deficit against RB Leipzig in their Europa League semi-final second leg, and they did so in style.
James Tavernier – who else – would bring his side back into the tie with 18 minutes played before Glen Kamara’s pinpoint strike into the bottom corner propelled Rangers into the ascendancy, but Leipzig would not wave the white flag without a fight.
Goalscoring machine Christopher Nkunku brought it back to 2-2 with a delightful volley past Allan McGregor, but with nine minutes to go, Lundstram was on hand to prod home and spark wild celebrations among the home crowd, and arguably the most famous night in the Gers’ history now awaits them.
There could hardly be a better way for Rangers to celebrate their 150-year anniversary than with a second European trophy at their sixth attempt, with four of the Gers’ previous finals on the continent – including the 2007-08 UEFA Cup – all seeing them forced to settle for second after winning the 1971-72 European Cup Winners’ Cup.
Hearts also await them in the final of the Scottish Cup next weekend, and their dress rehearsal for that showpiece event certainly went according to the script as far as the Gers faithful are concerned..
Rangers may have lost 10 of their 14 European games on Spanish soil so far, but Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund have both been sent packing by the 55-time Scottish champions in this season’s Europa League, and Frankfurt would do well to ask for some pointers from their Bundesliga neighbours to avoid suffering the same fate on the big occasion.
Form Guide
Eintracht Frankfurt Europa League form:
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Eintracht Frankfurt form (all competitions):
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Rangers Europa League form:
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Rangers form (all competitions):
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Team News
Hit with a major defensive absentee in the semi-final second leg against West Ham, Frankfurt lost Martin Hinteregger to a seventh-minute hamstring problem – one which is expected to keep him sidelined for a couple of months.
Almamy Toure should join Ndicka and Tuta at the back to cover for the injured Hinteregger, and a settled XI will also see wing kings Ansgar Knauff and Filip Kostic bomb down the flanks for the German side.
Rangers duo Filip Helander and Alfredo Morelos will not be eligible to play as they take their place on the sidelines due to injury, while Ianis Hagi recently teased a comeback but is not registered to play.
Kemar Roofe is pushing extremely hard to be involved, and Van Bronckhorst – who made no fewer than 10 changes at the weekend – has announced that the striker will be ready to play in the final.
Joe Aribo and Ryan Jack both left the field with injuries in the second leg against Leipzig but will expect to be fine for the final, as Van Bronckhorst prepares to recall all of his big guns to the first XI.
Eintracht Frankfurt possible starting lineup:
Trapp; Toure, Ndicka, Tuta; Knauff, Sow, Rode, Kostic; Kamada, Hauge; Borre
Rangers possible starting lineup:
McGregor; Tavernier, Goldson, Bassey, Barisic; Kamara, Lundstram, Jack; Kent, Aribo, Wright
Head To Head
Wednesday’s final will not be the first meeting between Frankfurt and Rangers in European competition, with the two sides locking horns in the semi-finals of the 1959-60 European Cup.
Rangers managed to head into half time at the Deutsche Bank Park at 1-1 in the first leg, but Frankfurt tore them apart in the second to claim a 6-1 advantage before visiting Ibrox.
In another spectacular watch for the neutrals, Frankfurt won 6-3 to advance to the final courtesy of a 12-4 aggregate success, but the German side were soon carved open 7-3 by Real Madrid in the final.
What they Said
Oliver Glasner, Frankfurt coach
“I’m so proud of the players and what they’ve produced in the last two months. Both teams fully deserve to be in the final. With Rangers, I see a mix of West Ham and Barcelona. The Dutch influence of the head coach in their build-up play, but the British mentality. We need a top performance.”
Sebastian Rode, Frankfurt midfielder
“For me, as a single match, it will certainly be the greatest moment of my career. We’ve picked up on this whole atmosphere already in the two weeks since the West Ham game, everyone talks to you about it and says they hope you win the title. It gives you goosebumps when you think about what we get to experience tomorrow.”
Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Rangers manager
“This is a club I played for for three years in the 90s and I’m proud to take the boys into the final. It’s a huge opportunity to get a second major prize in Europe. We’ve had an amazing run and it will be an amazing final. But the final is only nice when you win.”
James Tavernier, Rangers defender
“This means the world to us. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the team and the boss. It’s one step away and we want to bring the cup back home. We’ll leave everything on the pitch and make everyone proud.”
Prediction
Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 Rangers