UEFA Europa League final: Eintracht Frankfurt defeated Rangers in their sole prior meeting, but that was a long time ago, and the Light Blues have made a practice of humiliating Bundesliga opponents this season.
When Eintracht Frankfurt and Rangers first met almost 60 years ago, it was not much of a contest, but the UEFA Europa League finalists both have excellent reasons to believe their names will be on the trophy following the final in Seville.
The only other time Frankfurt and Rangers met was in the 1959/60 European Cup semi-finals, with Frankfurt winning 6-1 at home and 6-3 in Glasgow en way to a 7-3 final loss to Real Madrid. “They were the best team I’d ever seen,” said Sir Alex Ferguson, who was in the Hampden crowd of 127,621. “And then they was thrashed 7-3 in the championship!”
Frankfurt has not lost in four UEFA games against Scottish opponents (W3 D1), including two victories over Rangers and elimination of Aberdeen in the first round of the 1979/80 UEFA Cup.
The Light Blues are aiming for a treble in the Bundesliga.
The rangers’ only prior final against a German team was a 1-0 extra-time loss to Bayern München in the 1967 Cup Winners’ Cup final in Nuremberg, which – ironically – took place just six days after Glasgow rivals Celtic were proclaimed European champions.
However, Frankfurt’s UEFA record against German teams is a respectable W18 D15 L18, and they have already eliminated two Bundesliga teams from the competition this season, Dortmund in the knockout play-off and Leipzig in the semi-finals, both of whom were ranked significantly higher than Frankfurt in the table this season.
Rangers duo gets extra impetus
Leon Balogun, a German-born defender, has his own special motive for the final when he faces the Eagles. He stated, “I used to play for Mainz, and they had a big rivalry with Eintracht Frankfurt.” “So it’s also personal for me. I have two teams to please.”
Rangers captain James Tavernier may have even more skin in the game, as he enters the final as the competition’s top scorer with seven goals. “Frankfurt is there for a reason, but it’s only one game, and we’ll go all-in. We want to win this competition.”
Is Seville an auspicious location for Frankfurt?
Seville is hosting its third major UEFA club final; in the 1986 European Cup final, Steaua Bucureşti memorably defeated Barcelona on penalties at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium, while Celtic, Rangers’ Old Firm rivals, fell 3-2 to Porto at the city’s Estadio de La Cartuja.
Rangers lost against Sevilla in the 1962/63 Cup Winners’ Cup (0-2) and the 2009/10 UEFA Champions League group stage (0-1). Frankfurt is making their first visit to Sevilla, but they were in the city earlier this year, winning 2-1 at Real Betis in the round of 16 to eliminate Sevilla’s local rivals. They also eliminated West Ham, who terminated Sevilla’s campaign in the round of 16. Does that seem promising?
UEFA Europa League final 2022
The 2022 UEFA Europa League Final will be the final match of the 51st season of UEFA’s secondary club football tournament, the UEFA Europa League, and the 13th since it was rebranded from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League.
It will be held on May 18, 2022, at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium in Seville, Spain, between Eintracht Frankfurt and Rangers of Scotland.
The final was initially slated to take place at Budapest’s Puskás Aréna. The final hosts were changed back a year due to the postponing and relocation of the 2020 final, with Budapest hosting the 2023 final instead.
The winners will qualify for the 2022–23 UEFA Champions League group stage and will face the winners of the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League in the 2022 UEFA Super Cup.
Venue
This will be the first time the stadium has hosted a Europa League final. The 1986 European Cup Final was held there.
At the Estadio de La Cartuja in Seville, the 2003 UEFA Cup Final was held. Spain had previously hosted four UEFA Cup finals (holding a leg in 1977, 1985, 1986, and 1988).
Kick-off Time and Date
An additional draw was made following the quarter-final and semi-final drawings to identify the “home” team (for administrative purposes).
- Date: May 18, 2022
- Time: 21:00 CEST o
