Chelsea are firm favourites to reach the Europa League final after drawing 1-1 with Eintracht Frankfurt and justifiably so, judged on what we saw in Germany.
The Blues had to come from behind at Commerzbank Arena but looked much the better team when growing into that game after levelling on the stroke of half-time.
We expect Maurizio Sarri’s side to control proceedings in London and 27/20 for a home win to nil is our initial Chelsea vs Eintracht Frankfurt prediction.
Chelsea warmed up for the visit of Frankfurt with a comfortable 3-0 success over Watford on Sunday, a win that confirmed they will be playing Champions League football next term. The Blues have never lost a home game against German opposition in European competition (D2 W7) although it is significant that Frankfurt have scored in all six of their away games in the competition so far this season. They may well find the back of the net again at the Bridge, but I feel it will be Chelsea who make the Final in Azerbaijan later in the month.
Chelsea always looked like being suited by playing the second match of this Europa League semi-final at home – and they should beat Eintracht Frankfurt to book a trip to Baku.
In our first-leg preview, we predicted the Blues might be in for a tricky night in Germany but that an away goal to keep them right in contention could make all the difference when the tie was completed at Stamford Bridge this Thursday.
We were correct up to a point, inasmuch as Chelsea fared better than anticipated by holding Frankfurt to a 1-1 draw – and they rewarded our 10/11 bet on them to score the last goal as Pedro equalised the deftly-taken headed opener from impressive striker Luka Jovic.
Frankfurt faded in the second half and looked tired, and there was further evidence that a busy season may have caught up with them when they were thrashed 6-1 by Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday, with all the goals being scored in the first 36 minutes!
For Chelsea, this game will be all about staying solid at the back, because what they cannot afford is a repeat of two of their last three home matches in which they conceded two or more goals.
But Maurizio Sarri’s side have plenty of attacking threat too and it would be a shock if they failed to reach a potentially all-English showdown for the trophy in Baku on May 29.
Seeing that Chelsea and Eintracht Frankfurt played out a 1-1 draw at Commerzbank-Arena, an entertaining game is on the cards at Stamford Bridge. A place in the Europa League final is at stake, but the Blues are closer to making it to the title game. Over the years Maurizio Sarri’s troops have turned their stadium into a real fortress and they are considered favourites to win Thursday’s football game.
Eden Hazard started from the bench in the 1-1 draw with Eintracht, but he is likely to lead the line for the hosts in the second leg. Die Adler are enjoying a season to remember, but seeing that they were outplayed by Chelsea in the first leg, we predict that the Germans are going to return home empty-handed from the trip to London. A man to watch in the away team will be new Real Madrid signing Luka Jovic.
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While Chelsea have created considerably more than their opponents at home, Frankfurt boast an average expected goal difference of just +0.12. Such a number doesn’t bode well, especially after they struggled in the first leg.
At the end of the day, Frankfurt have impressed in the Europa League this season, but the final looks as though it will be a step too far for the German outfit. They struggled to compete on their own patch last week, so it would be no surprise ***oever if they came up short on Thursday.
In the betting, ‘Chelsea to Win to Nil’ catches the eye. Not only have the hosts given very few goals away on their own patch, but they did an excellent job of preventing Frankfurt from creating last week. Consider this alongside the fact that the Blues have surrendered an average of just 0.38 expected goals at home in the Europa League this season and backing the home win to come complete with a clean sheet stands out as a solid option.