The 2019/20 UEFA Europa League has reached the third qualifying round and there are some big clubs involved in this stage of the competition. None more so than Eintracht Frankfurt of the German Bundesliga.
They reached the semi-final of this competition last season, losing to eventual winners Chelsea. This season they begin in the qualifying rounds and have been drawn to play FC Vaduz. The first leg will take place on Thursday 8th August at the Rheinpark Stadion.
Despite being based in Liechtenstein, FC Vaduz play their club football in the Swiss Challenge League and they are currently in 5th place with 4 points from three games played. Despite playing in the second tier of Swiss football, FC Vaduz represent their own nation in terms of the domestic cup and winning this sees them enter the Europa League.
They have played two home matches in the competition this season, winning them both. FC Vaduz have defeated Breidablik 2-1 and Fehérvár 2-0 after extra-time. However, their record shows these are the only two games they have won from the last seven they have played in Europe.
Trends show FC Vaduz have been tough to beat on home soil in the Europa League. They have lost only one of their last fifteen home Europa League ties and that was to Odd of Norway back in 2017. Both teams have scored in seven of their last eleven home Europa League matches.
Eintracht Frankfurt have yet to begin their domestic campaign in Germany but have played one round in the Europa League. They were paired with Flora of Estonia and Eintracht Frankfurt were the massive favourites to progress.
The result was not as convincing as some had predicted but Eintracht Frankfurt won the first leg 2-1 away from home and won the second leg by the same score to progress 4-2 on aggregate. It was still early in their preseason preparations and Eintracht Frankfurt played a friendly match between the two legs of the tie, beating Wels 7-0.
Trends show Eintracht Frankfurt have won six, drawn two and lost two of their last ten away Europa League games. They have defeated Inter Milan, Lazio and Marseille during that run and scored two or more goals in seven of their last nine on the road.
Next up 👉 @VaduzFC!🔥#SGEuropa #FCVSGE #UEL pic.twitter.com/IZUjUWFslO— Eintracht Frankfurt (@eintracht_eng) August 5, 2019
Next up 👉 @VaduzFC!🔥#SGEuropa #FCVSGE #UEL pic.twitter.com/IZUjUWFslO
Team news and FC Vaduz will be looking toward Mohamed Coulibaly for their goals. The striker has scored in each of the previous rounds this season while Milan Gajic is an important player in midfield.
Eintracht Frankfurt have lost two key strikers this summer with the departure of Luka Jovic to Real Madrid and Sebastien Haller to West Ham. The pressure is on Ante Rebic to get the goals.
Despite being early in the season for Eintracht Frankfurt, they must be considered the huge favourites for this game. They have much the superior squad and should come away with a win and clean sheet.