Prediction: Eintracht Frankfurt vs Arsenal

Prediction: Arsenal win

Best Odds: 5/4

Bookmaker: bet365

European football is back in our lives and after the chaos and drama of the Champions League, it’s time to kickstart the Europa League run once again. The game we’re going to be looking at today will feature two sides who are incredibly familiar with this competition: Eintracht Frankfurt. Both had the chance to make it into the UCL last season, only for Chelsea to foil them. Now, they’ll be attempting to go one or two steps further by lifting the trophy up high in Gdansk next May.

Eintracht Frankfurt

Over the last few years, it’s been interesting to see the upward trajectory of Frankfurt, who finally seemed to be finding the balance between a strong defensive unit and a decent attacking prowess. While they may not be ready to challenge for the Bundesliga title just yet, the pieces are in place for them to take that jump. In terms of the Europa League, they’ll likely struggle after losing some of their more notable stars over the summer as they attempt to build from the ground up yet again.

Team News

Kostic will be a constant thorn in the side of Arsenal, with Andre Silva hoping to make an impact. The only major injury concern is Marco Russ.

Arsenal

Unai Emery’s side have had some mixed fortunes in the Premier League as of late, but the Europa League has been a competition they have thrived in over the course of the last few years. Now, though, after failing to win it last season, some are questioning how much emphasis they’ll put onto it in comparison to their search for the top four. They’ve certainly got a winnable group and while there’s a long road ahead this season, there is certainly cause for optimism.

Team News

Lacazette, Tierney, Bellerin and Mavropanos will all be out of action for this one. Willock and Nelson are tipped to get some extended time in the first team in the Europa League.

Factors to Consider

• Frankfurt reached the semi-finals of the Europa League last year, whereas Arsenal reached the final.
• Frankfurt have won two and lost three of their last five games.
• Arsenal have won two, drawn two and lost one of their last five games.
• Frankfurt have scored seven goals and conceded six in their last five games.
• Arsenal have scored eight goals and conceded eight in their last five games.

Conclusion

While Arsenal have been on a questionable run of form lately, it certainly feels like they’ve got more than enough in their locker to get the three points here. If this game went down last season then we’d expect a bit more of a defensive display from both teams, but now, we think there’s going to be goals galore. Arsenal are poor at the back and Frankfurt haven’t exactly been much better, and in the end, the Premier League side have the quality necessary to lead them towards an important return to winning ways.

Prediction: Arsenal win

Best Odds: 5/4

Bookmaker: bet365