MY ACCOUNT
Both British representatives in the Europa League semi-finals need to overturn first-leg deficits to reach the showpiece in Seville.
West Ham went down 2-1 at home to Eintracht Frankfurt, while Rangers were beaten 1-0 at RB Leipzig.
We take a look at both second legs with David Moyes’ Hammers heading to Germany and the Gers welcoming Leipzig to Ibrox.
Eintracht Frankfurt vs West Ham predictions
West Ham’s run to the last four in Europe’s second-tier competition has been a thrilling ride up to now and the Premier League side know they must score at least twice in the second leg to progress without the need for penalties.
It is fair to say Moyes has had his eye on the semi-final for the past few weeks, evidenced by the fact he has rested some of his key men in recent league defeats against Chelsea and Arsenal.
Those losses have ended their chances of a top-four domestic finish so winning the Europa League is the only route to Champions League football next term.
The Hammers impressively disposed of Sevilla and Lyon on their way to this point and many expected them to get the better of a Frankfurt side — who currently sit 11th in the Bundesliga — over two legs.
They still might — and the smart money at decent odds may well be on Moyes’ men to win on the night as they look to respond to that first-leg loss and rescue the tie.
The Irons have won convincingly on the road in the competition already this season, beating Dinamo Zagreb 2-0, Rapid Wien 2-0 and Lyon 3-0, while they drew with Genk 2-2.
A 1-0 defeat at Sevilla is their only loss on the road in Europe this term and it would not be a surprise to see them overturn the 2-1 scoreline and make it through.
Key forward Jarrod Bowen is the Hammers’ top scorer in all competitions with 16 and he would be the wise choice when looking at anytime goalscorers for the second leg.
The 25-year-old found the net against Arsenal on Sunday and will be confident of adding to his three strikes in the Europa League this season.
Rangers vs RB Leipzig predictions
Rangers were only a few agonising minutes away from claiming a very creditable 0-0 draw in Germany and Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side will be fired up in front of their passionate home support.
It is arguably the Glasgow giants’ biggest game since the 2008 UEFA Cup final and they are likely to be very competitive on the night, even if they may end up being edged out overall.
Leipzig are fifth in the Bundesliga and still in the hunt for the top four but come into the second leg having lost 3-1 at 10-man Borussia Monchengladbach on Monday night.
However, like the other clubs left in this competition, they may well have switched focus away from domestic matters and they remain very dangerous opponents for the Gers to try and tame.
The Red Bulls were Champions League semi-finalists in 2020 and followed that up a year later by making it to the last 16 of Europe’s elite competition.
The German club are experienced in these high-pressure affairs, whereas the hosts’ recent focus has been trying to establish themselves as regulars in the latter stages.
Domenico Tedesco’s visitors come into the match as favourites and they are very backable on the road after previously seeing off Atalanta and Real Sociedad.
Rangers know they must score on the night so backing both teams to find the back of the net with an away win also appeals.
Van Bronckhorst’s side have only failed to register in two of their last 21 games and the last time they drew a blank at Ibrox was against Lyon in mid-September.
