Two highest scoring teams of the competition face off as Frankfurt host Chelsea in the Europa League Semi Final 1st leg!
Frankfurt are entering the Semi Final having knocked out a couple of really tough sides like Shakhtar, Inter and most recently Benfica where they overcame a 2-4 aggregate deficit in the 2nd leg. Frankfurt have shown a tendency to perform better in their 2nd leg ties as they are yet to win a 1st leg match (2D 1L) whereas they won all 3 2nd leg matches in the knockouts. Obviously here they can’t afford to struggle as they have the home match 1st.
Chelsea have been dominant throughout the competition so far. In the knockouts they are yet to get seriously tested as they’ve taken down Malmo 5-1 on aggregate, Dynamo Kiev 8-0 on aggregate and Slavia 5-3 on aggregate in what was their toughest tie though they were comfortably up 5-1 before conceding two so realistically the Blues are yet to be put under any serious pressure in this competition. Frankfurt will surely be their toughest opponent yet in Europe this season.
Frankfurt are entering this game on a bit of a down form as they’ve only managed 1 win from last 5 though it was their biggest game in this stretch where they beat Benfica 2-0. Frankfurt have drawn each of their last 2 games domestically against teams they felt like they should’ve won in Wolfsburg and Hertha and have only managed 1 goal in these games which is unusual for them considering they’ve been bagging them in for fun this season. Frankfurt will need to find a way to recapture some better form coming into this tie.
Frankfurt have been in good form in Europa League though. Overall looking they’ve tasted just one defeat which they overturned in the 2nd leg against Benfica. Their record in the knockouts is 3W 2D 1L and overall they have a 9W 2D 1L record in the competition and have the 2nd most goals with 28 if you include group stages as well.
Chelsea themselves haven’t looked all that lately either only winning 1 game from their previous 4 that being against Slavia at home. Otherwise they lost to Liverpool, only managed draws against Burnley and Man Utd in this stretch and have looked suspect defensively conceding 8 goals in these 4 games which is a concern given how dangerous their opponents can be going forward in this tie.
Chelsea have been in red hot form in the Europa League form however. They are yet to lose in the competition and have won all 6 knockout games so far scoring 18 goals. Chelsea’s overall record in UEL is 11W 1D 0L and they have the most goals in the competition with 30 if you also include group stages.
Frankfurt have been relatively good at home this season and in 2019 they’ve just lost once in front of their fans from 11 games (6W 4D 1L). Draws have been an occurrence for Frankfurt at home, however for the most part they have been able to dispatch their opponents here.
In terms of Europa League, Frankfurt have not lost at home and have a fantastic 5W 1D 0L record with the lone draw coming against Inter. Frankfurt have scored 16 goals in Europe at home and have beaten the likes of Lazio, Marseille and Benfica quite comfortably making this an extremely tough place to come for opponents on European nights.
Chelsea have not been a good away side recently. Although they were great on their travels in the first half of the season, their away record in 2019 is 5W 1D 6L and they have a GD of 13:21 as they have been very leaky defensively when they go away.
However, 3 of those 5 away wins in 2019 have all come in Europa League for the Blues and they have a 5W 1D 0L overall away record in this competition. The Blues seem to perform much better when they go away on their European travels than when they do domestically though it can be understandable as they have faced weaker competition here. Frankfurt will be a completely different breed to what the Blues have recently faced in Dynamo Kiev or Slavia therefore the Blues away form can still be considered as a big concern here as they have not done well against top level competition on their travels this year.
Luka Jovic without a doubt is the man to watch for Frankfurt here. He’s been on a 4 game goal drought however that doesn’t change the fact that he’s the main man. Overall he has 25 goals for Frankfurt this season and 8 of those have come in Europa League which is tied 2nd most in the competition overall. Given Frankfurt’s attacking abilities, don’t be surprised if Jovic get a few chances and if he does he is going to be expected to score.
As for Chelsea it has to be Eden Hazard. He’s not had any special performances in Europa League yet because the Blues haven’t used him much. However with it being the Semi Finals you can now expect him to be the man for Chelsea. He has been their top goal scorer and assist man across all competitions and in a game of this magnitude, expect Eden to drop a big performance. Another man worth mentioning is Olivier Giroud who is actually the top scorer of the Europa League with 10 goals. He just can’t seem to stop scoring in Europe this year.
Frankfurt and Chelsea have never previously met therefore there are no recent H2H meetings to mention.
Chelsea have only lost once in their last 10 matches against German teams winning 5 and drawing 4. The Blues have won in each of their last 2 visits here both times against Schalke in 2013 and 2014.
Chelsea are tipped as very slim favourites to win on the day offered at 2.57 whereas Frankfurt to win is 2.90 with Draw tipped at 3.30. Chelsea are slightly larger favourites to advance over 2 legs tipped at 1.50 while Frankfurt are 2.70. Despite the Blues being the favourites, this does look like a closely matched tie and could go either way. Chelsea playing away first does work to their advantage and experience could also play a part as they’ve played more bigger games than Frankfurt over the years, but the German side should not be underestimated with their lethal attacking play as we’ve seen throughout the season. The odds are based on Unibet.
Team News
Frankfurt: Ante Rebic is out with a suspension and Sebastien Haller is also out limiting Frankfurt up front as they are two of their key creators which could prove to be a big blow for the hosts. Evan Ndicka is back from suspension and will be available.
Chelsea: Callum Hudson-Odoi and Antonio Rudiger are both out with season ending injuries while Willian picked up a knock but should be in the matchday squad though he may not start and Sarri may choose Pedro instead.
Betting Stats (UEL Based)
Frankfurt have covered 50% of their total goal overs at home in UEL this season (3-3).
Frankfurt have covered 66.7% of their total 1st half goal overs at home in UEL this season (4-2).
Frankfurt average 2.67 bookings per game at home in the UEL this season (16 bookings in 6 games).
Luka Jovic is Frankfurt’s top scorer at home with 4 home European goals this season. Filip Kostic also has quite a few with 3 home Europa League goals.
Frankfurt have covered 83.3% of their Handicaps at home in the UEL this season (5-1-0).
Frankfurt have covered 83.3% of their 1st half Handicaps at home in the UEL this season (5-1-0).
Chelsea have covered 33.3% of their total goal overs away from home in the UEL this season (2-1-3).
Chelsea have covered 33.3% of their total 1st half goal overs away from home in the UEL this season (2-1-3).
Chelsea average 0.67 bookings per game away from home in the UEL this season (4 bookings in 6 games).
Olivier Giroud is Chelsea’s top scorer away from home in Europa League with 6 away European goals this season.
Chelsea have covered 50% of their Handicaps away from home in the UEL this season (3-3).
Chelsea have covered 50% of their 1st half Handicaps away from home in the UEL this season (3-3).
KICK OFF – 2nd May 2019 – 8pm UK Time
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