Chelsea vs Eintracht Frankfurt Leg 2 Odds & Picks – Europa League Semifinals
- London club favored for second UEL final
- Crucial away goal in 1-1 draw in Germany
- Bundesliga side hunt another major name
Chelsea will be attempting to reach their fourth European final of the Roman Abramovich-ownership era when they take on Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League semifinal leg 2 at Stamford Bridge on Thursday, May 9, 2019 at 3:00 pm EST.
After a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Germany, the London club, are widely favored to win the return match at -286.
Chelsea vs Eintracht Frankfurt Leg 2 UEL Odds
| Team | Spread | Money Line | Total | Odds to Advance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chelsea | -1 -1½ -125 | -286 | Ov 3 +100 | -500 |
| Eintracht Frankfurt | +1 +1½ +105 | +640 | Un 3 -120 | +350 |
| Draw | N/A | +380 | N/A | N/A |
The Bundesliga side are rated at + 640, with a draw after normal time at +380. It means Chelsea are also highly favored to advance at -500 against +350 for Frankfurt.
An equaliser on the stroke of half-time from Pedro at the Commerzbank Arena on Thursday, May 2, has handed Chelsea a precious away goal following Luka Jovic’s 23rd minute opener.
Chelsea vs Eintracht Frankfurt UEL Stats
| 11 | Wins | 9 |
| 0 | Losses | 1 |
| 2 | Draws | 3 |
| 31 | Goals | 29 |
| 90% | Passing accuracy | 77% |
| 63% | Possession | 47% |
Sarri’s Team Unbeaten in Europa League
Maurizio Sarri’s team are unbeaten in the competition this season and have won every tie they have played at home.
The draw in Germany handed Chelsea a new Europa League record of 16 consecutive matches without defeat.
Eintracht have eliminated some big names in the knockout phase – Shakhtar Donetsk, Internazionale and Benfica.
They have never lost at home in eight visits from German opposition. They have also never lost at home in the Europa League.
Eintracht have eliminated some big names in the knockout phase – Shakhtar Donetsk, Internazionale and Benfica. They advanced after first leg draws against Shakatar and Inter and recovered from a 4-2 first leg deficit against Portugal’s Benfica.
Hazard Eager for Final Bow Before Move
But Chelsea should be too experienced and powerful for them, with star play-maker Eden Hazard keen to reach a major European final as a potential last bow for the club before a widely-predicted move to Real Madrid in the summer.
“There is still a considerable gap between what Real Madrid want to offer and what Chelsea have in mind.
Eden Hazard’s future is still in Marina Granovskaia’s hands and no comprimises as yet.”
– Kristof Terreur pic.twitter.com/NLUJhfhItM
— Simon Phillips (@SiPhillipsSport) May 6, 2019
Chelsea won the Europa League in 2013, a year after they won the Champions League. They also reached the 2008 Champions League final under the ownership of Russian Abramovich.
The win against Watford secured a Champions League spot for next season which could keep under-fire coach Maurizio Sarri in his job..
They also won the now defunct European Cup Winners Cup in 1971 and 1998.
They are currently third-placed in the EPL after a 3-0 win at home against 10th-placed Watford on Sunday, May 5. It secured a Champions League spot for next season which could keep under-fire coach Sarri in his job.
Prior to that, they had drawn their three previous matches in all competitions against Burnley, Manchester United and Frankfurt.
Frankfurt Suffered a 6-1 Hammering
Eintracht are currently in fourth place in the Bundesliga despite a 6-1 hammering at Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday.
They have become the surprise package of German football after winning the DFB-Pokal cup tournament last season by defeating Bayern Munich in the final.
They will also be backed in London by a large and very noisy contingent of fans. So they are unlikely to be over-awed by the occasion.
Frankfurt had also drawn their three preceding games against Wolfsburg, Hertha Berlin and Chelsea.
Bayer Leverkusen have equalled the Bundesliga record for goals scored in a first half ?
They're 6-1 up against Eintracht Frankfurt ? pic.twitter.com/XOEXmvmfjw
— Goal (@goal) May 5, 2019
They have become known for an attractive, fast-paced brand of high pressing football under the direction of Austrian coach Adi Hutter. They will also be backed in London by a large and very noisy contingent of fans. So they are unlikely to be over-awed by the occasion .
Place in Club History at Stake
The current group of players is eager to claim a place in the club’s history similar to the revered status held by the players who won the UEFA Cup – fore-runner of the Europa League – in 1989-90 by defeating German rivals Borussia Moenchengladbach over two legs.
This is only their second campaign in European competition in the past 12 seasons. In 2013/14, they reached the Europa League round of 32 where they were eliminated by Porto.
Chelsea’s French striker, Olivier Giroud, is the leading goalscorer in the Europa League with 10 goals.
Their Serbian forward Jovic is in third place in the Bundesliga goal-scoring charts with 17. He has hit the target nine times in the Europa League.
?Luka Jović in the #UEL this season = ???
⚽️0⃣9⃣
?1⃣3⃣ pic.twitter.com/thI4G9Py78— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) May 3, 2019
Chelsea’s French striker, Olivier Giroud, is the leading goalscorer in the Europa League with 10 goals. The team are the highest goalscorers with 31.
Blues Lost Three Penalty Shoot-Outs
Should it go to a penalty shoot-out, Chelsea have won only once via a spot-kick decider and have lost three times in European competition in this way.
They won the 2012 Champions League final via a shoot-out against Bayern Munich. But they were beaten in the 2007/08 final by the same method against Manchester United.
Eintracht have participated in only one shoot-out – defeating Salzburg in the 1993/94 UEFA Cup quarterfinal.
They were also defeated by Liverpool in the 2006/07 Champions League semifinal and by Munich in the 2013 UEFA Super Cup final.
Eintracht have participated in only one shoot-out – defeating Salzburg in the 1993/94 UEFA Cup quarterfinal.
Leg 2 Pick: Chelsea to win & Over 3 goals
John Dillon is a leading member of the UK's sporting media, having spent three decades as a national newspaper soccer and sports writer, broadcaster and author. He has covered five World Cups, six European Championships and was Chief Sports Writer at the Daily Express for 14 years.
