Eintracht Frankfurt vs Benfica
Eintracht Frankfurt vs Benfica is the return meeting of the Europa League quarterfinals. The tournament match, a week ago, ended with a 4-2 home win, leaving the chance to qualify. The match will be played on April 18, 2019, from 22:00 on the Commerzbank-Arena in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Eintracht Frankfurt: a scorecard machine
For Eintracht Frankfurt qualification in the quarterfinals is the best performance of the German team in Europe since 1995. This does not necessarily mean that it is at the end of the road. Let’s not forget that he scored twice in Lisbon, playing in 10 men after Evan N’Dicka’s elimination in the 20th minute. It’s an offensive team. He has scored at least 2 times in 9 of the last 11 games in Europe, all played this season. Only in the two meetings with Inter only scored once, but it was enough to move on. With Lazio, Marseille and Sahtior Donetk scored four times in the matches played in Frankfurt. He has an offensive trio of value consisting of Luca Jovic, Sebastien Haller and Ante Rebic. Together they scored 54 of the team’s goals, in the Bundesliga and Europa League. One of them, Haller, missed the first date, but was recalled for the return match. He is injured and has a low chance of being recovered by the time of the match. There will be an important absence from the host camp.
- Eintracht (3-5-2): Trapp – Abraham, Hinteregger, Hasebe – Da Costa, Fernandes, Rode, Kostic – Rebic – Paciencia, Jovic
- Coach: Adi Hütter
- Injury: Haller, Tawatha, Chandler, Russ, Stender
- Suspended: N’Dick
Benfica: Has more experience in Europe
Benfica started the season in the Champions League, where it took 3rd place in a group with Ajax, Bayern and AEK Athens. That’s how he got to the elimination matches in the Europa League. In the first two rounds he passed Galatasaray and Dinamo Zagreb. These matches were some with few goals. Most scored in Istanbul on the Galata tour, winning 2-1. The start of the tour, with Frankfurt, was a balanced one, with a small tendency to dominate for the visiting team, who proposed a physical football with many men contacts. The Portuguese responded by stepping down almost every contact. The balance was squeezed by that 20th minute elimination, when the 11-meter kick from the score was released. In the Portuguese Championship match on Sunday, won with the same 4-2 score, Benfica rested more than half of the players that evolved last Thursday. Joao Felix wanted to play and scored again. Let’s not forget that he has scored 3 times in the tournament, becoming the top scorer of the Portuguese League in the Europa League.
- Benfica (4-4-2): Vlochidomos – Corchia, Dias, Jardel, Grimaldo – Pizzi, Fernandes, Fejsa, Cervi – Joao Felix, Seferovic
- Coach: Bruno Lage
- Injuries: Conti, Ebuehi, Gabriel Pires, Salvio
Eintracht Frankfurt vs Benfica Picks
The German team needs a victory in at least two goals difference to qualify in the semifinals. She has to attack from the start and write down as quickly as possible. This will leave room for the Portuguese counterattacks, which certainly will not let too many people invited to attack. I am expecting a new meeting of the Germans with many goals.
Prediction today: Over 2.5
Odds: 1.57
