Eintracht Frankfurt v West Ham: Europa League semi-final, second leg – live!

It’s good to see Owen Hargreaves as the German football expert on BT Sport’s coverage. I think he’s a terrific pundit – economical, understated, insightful and generous of spirit, which is quite a rare combination. And what a marvellous footballer he was too, who would achieved so much more had tendinitis not effectively ended his career at the age of 27.

“I sincerely wish Rob Lewis (7.20pm) all the best,” says Peter Oh, “but I fear that Knauff, Kostic, Kamada and kompany, company rather, kould, er could well kause, I mean cause some kebab and kunefe indigestion.”

I think I’ve just got indigestion just from reading that sentence.

Knauff knockout?
Knauff knockout? Photograph: Craig Mercer/MB Media/Getty Images

This is a nice feature on a really smart, underrated player

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Pablo Fornals is quickly becoming a cult hero at West Ham, he loves this club ⚒️#UEL pic.twitter.com/dw4QpXlQkB

— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) May 5, 2022

Tonight’s winners will play Rangers or RB Leipzig in the final. Scott Murray is following that game.

“Dear Rob,” writes Rob Lewis. “(From the biblical Antioch on the Turkish border with Syria). May the best team win? No, Rob that really will not do. May my Irons win, with brass knobs on. I have just taken our party out to eat kebab and kunefe tonight, on the off chance that my generosity might spur the powers that be and reside in the sky above to look kindly on us tonight.

“I’ve also sold my soul and promised myself we can lose to Tottenham for the next three seasons and I won’t say a dicky bird about it, as long as we get the desired result tonight. May the claret and blue team win. COYI.”

I’m sensing just a soupçon of tension.

Hmmm, not sure this is 100% safe.
Hmmm, not sure this is 100% safe. Photograph: Matthias Hangst/Getty Images

Jacob Steinberg’s preview

Team news

Eintracht Frankfurt make two changes from the first leg. The excellent French defender Evan Ndicka returns from suspension in place of Almamy Toure, and Jens Petter Hauge replaces the injured Jesper Lindstrom.

Vladimir Coufal replaces Ben Johnson at right-back for West Ham, the only change from last week’s game at the London Stadium.

Eintracht Frankfurt (3-4-2-1) Trapp; Tuta, Hinteregger, Ndicka; Knauff, Sow, Rode, Kostic; Hauge, Kamada; Borre.
Substitutes: Grahl, Jakic, Hrustic, Lammers, Toure, Hasebe, Ache, Chandler, Da Costa, Lenz, Barkok, Paciencia.

West Ham (4-2-3-1) Areola; Coufal, Dawson, Zouma, Cresswell; Soucek, Rice; Bowen, Lanzini, Fornals; Antonio.
Substitutes: Fabianski, Randolph, Yarmolenko, Vlasic, Noble, Benrahma, Diop, Fredericks, Masuaku, Johnson, Kral, Alese.

Referee Jesus Gil Manzano (Spain).

Preamble

Hello and welcome to live coverage of the Europa League semi-final between Eintracht Frankfurt and West Ham at the evocatively named Deutsche Bank Park. This is it, then. For Frankfurt and West Ham, only two emotional extremes are available tonight: unimaginable euphoria or unbearable distress.

One group of players will be in Seville on 18 May for the final; the other lot will be at home, each sporting a face like a walloped posterior. Frankfurt are odds-on favourites after their slightly confusing 2-1 win at the London Stadium last week, but West Ham’s task feels more stiff than impossible.

There two reasons for that: away trips aren’t quite as mysterious or intimidating as they once were, and the abolition of the away goals rule means West Ham may only have to score one goal to take the game to extra-time. Last season they would have needed at least two. George Graham’s Anfield ’89 approach – get to half-time at 0-0 and see where the chips fall thereafter – might be homaged by David Moyes tonight. Or West Ham could just blow the bloody doors off in the first half like they did in Lyon in the quarter-finals.

Both teams are very comfortable on the counter-attack, so don’t be surprised if they play pass the parcel with the territorial advantage. Frankfurt have won only five out of 21 home games this season. They don’t need to win tonight, a draw is fine, but that record should give West Ham hope. Not as much hope as a 2-1 lead will give Frankfurt, mind you.

No two ways, this is a huge night for both clubs, the chance to secure a once-in-three-generations opportunity by reaching a European final. Frankfurt last did so in 1980, West Ham in 1976, an- LOOK, YOU PEDANTIC PIECE OF WASTED SPACE, I’VE TOLD YOU BEFORE, THE 1999 INTERTOTO CUP DOESN’T COUNT.

RB Leipzig or Rangers await in the final. May the best team win.

Kick off 8pm BST, 9pm in Frankfurt.

source: theguardian.com