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Chelsea welcome Eintracht Frankfurt to Stamford Bridge on the 9th of May, 2019 in the 2nd leg of their Europa League semi-final. The hosts battled their way to a 1-1 draw in Germany with Pedro cancelling out Luka Jovic’s opener. Thus, the tie is tantalisingly poised heading into the return fixture.
Maurizio Sarri’s men have endured a strange season so far yet they’ve ensured that they’ll be playing in the Champions League next term. The Italian’s first year in charge started with the Blues going on an impressive unbeaten run. However, the early season optimism evaporated in the winter months when many called for the manager’s head.
But, over the course of the past few weeks, Chelsea have started to string some encouraging results together and they are now assured a top four place in light of those wins. The latest of those victories came at home to Watford when they beat the Hornets 3-0.
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Frankfurt, meanwhile, were thrashed 6-1 away to Bayer Leverkusen at the weekend. Though they still find themselves in fourth courtesy goal difference, they are in real danger of undoing their early-season work with a combination of poor form and discipline.
However, having said that, the German side have been a tougher nut to crack on the continental stage. They were splendid in the 2nd leg against Benfica in the quarter final and despite losing the 1st leg 4-2, they gathered themselves to blank the Portuguese team 2-0 to advance.
Even in the Round of 16 tie against Inter Milan, Frankfurt won the 2nd leg 1-0 to seal a spot in the last eight. In the process, the German side have showcased the propensity to not back down from a challenge and come up trumps in clutch situations.
Hence, the game has all the ingredients to be an exhilarating affair.
Kick-off Information
Venue: Stamford Bridge
Date: 9th May, 2019
Time: 20:00 (Local Time), 00:30 (IST) on 10th May, 2019
Referee: Ovidiu Alin Hațegan
Where to watch: Sony Network
Form Guide
Last five competitive matches (Most recent first)
Chelsea: W-D-D-D-W
Eintracht Frankfurt: L-D-D-D-W
Head to Head
Chelsea: 0 wins
Eintracht Frankfurt: 0 wins
Draw: 1 draw
Player to watch out for
Eden Hazard
Eden Hazard’s name has been splashed across all the back pages in England over the past few months. While his transfer saga has inevitably attracted a lot of attention, his exploits on the footballing pitch have also seen him hog the limelight.
In the league, the Belgian has notched up an astounding tally of 16 goals and 15 assists. However, he hasn’t made a goal contribution yet in the Europa League. Thus, the winger would be wanting to break his duck come the visit of Frankfurt.
Hazard was rested for the 1st leg in Germany with Sarri prioritising the league game against Watford. Yet, with a Champions League spot for next season in the bag, the Italian would surely want to unleash the Belgian.
At this juncture, Chelsea is the favourite to lift the Europa League crown in Baku. And if Hazard fires in the 2nd leg at Stamford Bridge, the Blues could be a step closer to Sarri’s elusive first trophy.
