The UEFA Europa League has come to an end. Eintracht Frankfurt and Rangers FC will meet this Wednesday, May 18, at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium in Seville with the aim of lifting their first European title in more than 40 years. The Germans already tasted success in what was previously known as the UEFA Cup in 1980, while the Scots’ only feat on the continent came with the now-defunct Cup Winners’ Cup in 1972.
The match will begin at 9:00 p.m. at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium in Seville and will be seen live on Movistar Liga de Campeones. You can also follow minute by minute on the La Vanguardia website.
The capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia, Seville, expects to receive up to 100,000 Eintracht Frankfurt and Rangers fans for tonight’s match, although most of them will arrive without tickets. Only 10,000 tickets were allocated to the two finalist clubs, while Sevilla FC’s mecca has a capacity for 42,000 spectators. The City Council of the city of Seville foresees full hotel occupancy, with an economic impact of around 60 million euros. On the other hand, more than 5,500 policemen will be in charge of patrolling the streets on the date indicated.
Eintracht Frankfurt will reach the grand final as favorites. Despite ending the Bundesliga season in a disappointing 11th position, Oliver Glasner’s side have been ruthless in European competition. He didn’t lose a single match in the group stage, and once the KO stage arrived, he knocked out each and every one of his opponents mercilessly. First they knocked out Real Betis Balompié in Seville, and then eliminated FC Barcelona at a Camp Nou that became a subsidiary of Deutsche Bank Park abroad. Already in the semi-finals, West Ham failed to put up a fight and was defeated in both England and Germany.
The coach of ‘the eagles’, the Austrian Glasner, defined his opponents this Wednesday as “a mix between West Ham and Barcelona” due to the Dutch influence of his coach, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, in his way of building the game, “but with the British mentality”. “We will have to play our best football to defeat them,” he added. With up to 50,000 German fans milling around the city of Seville, hoping to witness another magical night like the one witnessed at the Benito Villamarín, Glasner hopes to create an atmosphere similar to the one experienced when Eintracht lifted the DFB Pokal, the German Cup, in 2018 after beating Bayern Munich.
The team from the state of Hesse will try tonight to end a 42-year drought without European titles. The last continental achievement they added to their showcase was the UEFA Cup won in 1980, after beating Borussia Mönchengladbach in a two-leg tie. In addition, they reached the final of the European Cup in 1960, where they were defeated by the omnipotent Real Madrid of Puskás, Di Stéfano and Gento by 7-3.
For its part, Rangers will arrive in Andalusia like the eternal Cinderella who, without anyone expecting it, has arrived at the big ball. Second in the Scottish Premier League, the journey of Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s pupils through Europe has not been exactly pleasant. They finished second in the group stage, eight points behind the leader and just one digit from falling to the Conference League. In the sixteenth, they surprised Borussia Dortmund; in eighths, they were superior to Red Star; in the quarterfinals, they came from behind against Sporting Braga and, in the semifinals, they once again turned the tie around after the setback experienced at Leipzig’s fiefdom. Suffering, but they have reached the final.
Like his nemesis on the German bench, van Bronckhorst is aware of the importance of the fans, who will be key to deciding the final. However, he appealed for calm and asked them to enjoy the moment, but “making sure not to cause any problems.” For his part, full-back James Tavernier, the competition’s top scorer, admitted that he would like to finish the tournament at the top of the scorers’ table, but recognized that his main objective is “trying to keep a clean sheet”, something that would bring his team to win the Europa League.
This is the first time that Rangers have reached a European final since 2008. In that edition of the Europa League, the Scottish squad was defeated by Zenit Saint Petersburg 2-0, staying on the verge of lifting the cup . Their only continental trophy dates back to 1972, when the light blues won the Recopa.
Both teams will start with notable losses. Alfredo Morelos, Rangers’ top scorer this season, cannot be fielded by van Bronckhorst due to injury, the same reason that will keep Frankfurt center-back Martin Hinteregger away from the pitch.
The paths of Eintracht Frankfurt and Rangers FC already crossed in the semi-finals of the European Cup in the 1959-60 season. The Germans started with an advantage after winning 6-1 at the Waldstadion and closed the tie in Glasgow, getting another 3-6 win. Real Madrid awaited in the grand final.
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