Europa League: Rangers Face Eintracht Frankfurt in Surprise Final

Eintracht Frankfurt vs Rangers FC

Eintracht Frankfurt and Rangers will meet in one of the more unexpected Europa League final matchups in recent years.

Frankfurt, one-time winners of the competition in 1980, sprung some big surprises as they brought down Real Betis, Barcelona, and West Ham United on their way to the final.

The Eagles were the significant underdogs in those ties, but the Europa League 2022 betting odds now have them as slight favourites against Rangers.

The Scottish giants also know a thing or two about shock upsets, as well as overcoming German opposition. They beat two Bundesliga powerhouses in Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig to reach their first European final since 2008, and they will have their sights set on celebrating in Seville.

Talking Points

Frankfurt’s fantastic run to the final

Eintracht Frankfurt certainly earned their spot in the Europa League final. They are still unbeaten in this year’s competition, with seven wins and five draws in 12 games.

That feat is even more impressive given the fact that they have faced some tough teams in the knockout rounds: Real Betis, Barcelona, and West Ham United.

Their quarter-final victory over Barca will go down in history as one of the greatest moments in the club’s history. After drawing the first leg 1-1 at home, they went into the Camp Nou and outplayed the Catalans in a 3-2 win.

Frankfurt will not have any form to speak of heading into the final, though. They failed to win any of their last eight Bundesliga matches, with five draws and three defeats.

Although, coach Oliver Glasner had begun to concentrate more on the Europa League knockout rounds during that time and their lack of league form did not seem to detract from their performances in Europe, which remained stellar.

It’s a testament to Frankfurt’s impressive teamwork that they’ve managed to reach a European final despite lacking a true star, particularly up front.

Rafael Borre is the team’s leading scorer with just 11 goals on the season. Although, he has found his best form late in the season. Aside from producing one of the top Europa League 2022 highlights with his wonder goal against Barcelona, he also got a goal and an assist in the semi-finals against West Ham. The Colombian now has three goals and an assist in his last five games.

Gers keep knocking out German clubs

Glasgow Rangers are back in the Europa League final for the first time in 14 years. And the Gers had to go through a couple of German clubs during their unexpected run to the final.

First, they stunned Borussia Dortmund 6-4 on aggregate in the Europa League knockout play-offs. And then, they overcame a 1-0 first-leg deficit to beat RB Leipzig 3-2 on aggregate in the semi-finals.

James Tavernier was a massive reason for Rangers’ success against those two German clubs. The Gers captain scored four of his Europa League-leading seven goals in the four games against German opposition.

With top striker Alfredo Morelos already ruled out and Kemar Roofe still a doubt to play in the final, Rangers will be hoping Tavernier can come up big against German foes one more time.

Joe Ayodele-Aribo has been deployed as the centre-forward in Morelos and Roofe’s absence, and the young Nigerian could be called upon again to play that crucial role in the final if Roofe fails to return for the final.

Meanwhile, Welsh midfielder Aaron Ramsey has finally returned to full fitness as he played and started Rangers’ last two Premiership games. With his quality and nose for goal, Ramsey will be a handy weapon for coach Giovanni van Bronkhorst off the bench.

History

Each of these two clubs has made the UEFA Cup/Europa League final once in their history. Eintracht Frankfurt made their lone final in 1980 and faced fellow German club Borussia Monchengladbach. Despite finishing 3-3 on aggregate, Frankfurt won on away goals.

As for Rangers, they made their lone final in 2008, but they lost 2-0 to Zenit St Petersburg at the City of Manchester Stadium.

Frankfurt and Rangers have met each just twice before, and those came in the semi-finals of the 1960 European Cup. Eintracht Frankfurt won a remarkably high-scoring semi-final tie 12-4 on aggregate as they scored six goals in both legs.

Betting Tip 

SBOTOP odds have Eintracht Frankfurt installed as narrow 2.35 favourites to win the Europa League final after 90 minutes. A Rangers win is priced at 2.82 while a draw is 3.35.

Both teams will no doubt be feeling a bit of nerves as they play in this European final. As such, they could very well play quite cautiously to avoid making any costly errors.

With that in mind, I expect this final to be a closely contested affair, one that will likely not be settled within 90 minutes.

 

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