⚽UEFA Europa League Discussion Thread -- 2021/22 Winners: Eintracht Frankfurt!

[Smartvirus]

I appreciate if you don't make Barcelona your favorite to win, maybe you have your own considerations. But I am very optimistic that Barcelona
will win the Europa League trophy this year, because in my opinion of all the teams that have qualified for the quarter-finals, Barcelona is
the strongest.

I am with you on this and I can almost certainly say the same thing although, I don't agree with the fact that, the strongest always win. Though Barcelona may be the strongest, they didn't seem so strong in there last game with Galatasaray. It was a hard win for them even with there dominance of the league, the goals weren't forth coming. How then can we expect them to win against a stronger opponent?
Anyway, the Europa is one way Barcelona could prove to itself and its fans that, they've still got quality and Xavi is surely getting the team back in shape. Hence, they've got no reason not to win the Europa and besides, they are the strongest. They just need a more coordinated Barca.

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[hahay]

After having a really tough matchup against Galatasaray, Barcelona are going to have Frankfurt as their next opponent. Frankfurt can be a dangerous team as they are a German team. But I believe Barcelona are going to make a bigger effort than the one against Galatasaray. They must do this to move their opponent out of their way quicker.

Frankfurt could be a dangerous opponent, of course, but I don't think Barcelona will allow them to be dangerous. If we compare the current performance of these two teams, then Frankfurt will be far behind. Their performance in the Bundesliga is not good. They need to improve if they want to win against Barcelona. There is no way to make Barcelona feel weak. Every player on the team is now able to play well.

But if we compare Galatasaray with Eintracht Frankfurt, I think we will agree that Eintracht Frankfurt might be at a better level compared to Galatasaray's rivalry in the local league. That way, I think Barcelona will still not be easy to qualify for the semifinals, I personally will still consider Barcelona will have difficulty against this German team and I personally am still not completely sure about Barcelona.

[Distraction]

Leipzig - Atalanta seems to be a very competitive draw in this round of the Europa League. Because they both are solid teams now and they can be considered as among the title contenders too. To be honest, I'm feeling myself closer to Atalanta for this draw. They eliminated Leverkusen really nicely in the previous round. Their effort was really big that it showed how they were willing to achieve a good success in this tournament too. Leipzig would make difficulties for them in the first leg surely. But if Atalanta get a nice result, they can finish this in Italy.

[Unknown01]

The game between Barcelona and Frankfurt will be exciting. Barcelona already struggled against Galatasaray, so it will be interesting to see if they can regain strength. For me Barcelona was the favourite, but now I'm not so sure anymore. We‘ll see 

[Smartvirus]

Leipzig - Atalanta

That's some draw and honestly, I don't know which team to predict for a win. Both teams are good and not to mention that, they are equally matched. Atalanta might have had the opportunity to show quality in the round of 16 against Bayer Leverkusen, a chance Leipzig never got to express due to the ban on Russian teams by the EUFA governing body. You know at that point, I could imagine how these players would feel, both for the non Russian nationals that might be playing in the team. That's some harsh decision on them and they've got no choice sadly. Never the less, Leipzig is some team you can't underestimate even for Atalanta and as such, the game is an anticipated watch.

[ILuckyGuyI]

I agree that it is hard to predict the winner of the Leipzig - Atalanta matchup in the quarter finals. For the first game, I can say that Leipzig have the upper hand on Atalanta. I don't expect Leipzig to lose their home game first. But it is still doubtful whether they can win either. Atalanta defeated Leverkusen in both legs. As Leverkusen are also one of the strongest German teams now, Leipzig should watch out for a big threat there not to experience the same thing. Otherwise, it would be too hard for them to advance to next round.

[Maidak]

I agree that it is hard to predict the winner of the Leipzig - Atalanta matchup in the quarter finals. For the first game, I can say that Leipzig have the upper hand on Atalanta. I don't expect Leipzig to lose their home game first. But it is still doubtful whether they can win either. Atalanta defeated Leverkusen in both legs. As Leverkusen are also one of the strongest German teams now, Leipzig should watch out for a big threat there not to experience the same thing. Otherwise, it would be too hard for them to advance to next round.

I am quite sure that Barcelona, Atalanta, and West Ham are going to be the winners of the quarter-final but I am not quite sure about the match between Braga and Rangers.

Both teams seem to be playing well in their own respective leagues. But if you look at the last five matches of both teams I think ok, it is clear that Braga has a really poor record in the last five matches with only one win in, and on the other hand Rangers have four wins in the last five matches. so ranges should be confident about beating Braca in the match in Europa League.

[LittleBitFunny]

The game between Barcelona and Frankfurt will be exciting. Barcelona already struggled against Galatasaray, so it will be interesting to see if they can regain strength. For me Barcelona was the favourite, but now I'm not so sure anymore. We‘ll see 

I wouldn't say that Barcelona actually struggled against Galatasaray but it was certainly a little too close for comfort. Actually, I thought they will win by a better margin cause over 80% ball position was controlled by Barcelona at that match. Anyway, they did get the win and that's all matters.
Frankfurt is not an easy opponent for Barcelona at the moment. but I still think Barcelona is better than them. and Barcelona should win this match against Frankfurt. if they don't it will be really surprising.

[Marvell1]

After having a really tough matchup against Galatasaray, Barcelona are going to have Frankfurt as their next opponent. Frankfurt can be a dangerous team as they are a German team. But I believe Barcelona are going to make a bigger effort than the one against Galatasaray. They must do this to move their opponent out of their way quicker.

Frankfurt could be a dangerous opponent, of course, but I don't think Barcelona will allow them to be dangerous. If we compare the current performance of these two teams, then Frankfurt will be far behind. Their performance in the Bundesliga is not good. They need to improve if they want to win against Barcelona. There is no way to make Barcelona feel weak. Every player on the team is now able to play well.

But if we compare Galatasaray with Eintracht Frankfurt, I think we will agree that Eintracht Frankfurt might be at a better level compared to Galatasaray's rivalry in the local league. That way, I think Barcelona will still not be easy to qualify for the semifinals, I personally will still consider Barcelona will have difficulty against this German team and I personally am still not completely sure about Barcelona.

For me, Barcelona is obviously a better team than Frankfurt at the moment. Barcelona should be able to win in the upcoming Europa League match against them.

Obviously, if we compare Galatasaray with Frankfurt, Frankfurt might seem like a better team. but that obviously does not make them better than Barcelona, and the way Barcelona is playing I think They are not going to have too many problems beating Frankfurt. I am actually keeping a closer look for today's El Clasico match.

[Zilon]

I agree that it is hard to predict the winner of the Leipzig - Atalanta matchup in the quarter finals. For the first game, I can say that Leipzig have the upper hand on Atalanta. I don't expect Leipzig to lose their home game first. But it is still doubtful whether they can win either. Atalanta defeated Leverkusen in both legs. As Leverkusen are also one of the strongest German teams now, Leipzig should watch out for a big threat there not to experience the same thing. Otherwise, it would be too hard for them to advance to next round.

Home advantage in the Europa might not mean much although Leipzig -Atlanta might be difficult to predict but making predictions based on Leipzig having a home advantage against Atlanta might be deceptive. Leipzig needs to play beyond their usual bundles liga style if they must match up with Atlanta that plays more of fast games

[zidanw]

I agree that it is hard to predict the winner of the Leipzig - Atalanta matchup in the quarter finals. For the first game, I can say that Leipzig have the upper hand on Atalanta. I don't expect Leipzig to lose their home game first. But it is still doubtful whether they can win either. Atalanta defeated Leverkusen in both legs. As Leverkusen are also one of the strongest German teams now, Leipzig should watch out for a big threat there not to experience the same thing. Otherwise, it would be too hard for them to advance to next round.

Home advantage in the Europa might not mean much although Leipzig -Atlanta might be difficult to predict but making predictions based on Leipzig having a home advantage against Atlanta might be deceptive. Leipzig needs to play beyond their usual bundles liga style if they must match up with Atlanta that plays more of fast games

I also get the strong impression that the home advantage has all but disappeared in the games in the league. And that makes it a lot more fun to watch. Teams have also had to play without an audience for a long time, it is possible that they are more geared to that now and that they are less involved with the audience. This way they can concentrate better on the game and not be distracted. I think it's exactly the same in the competition, depending of course on how fanatical the audience is.

[fullhdpixel]

For me, Barcelona is obviously a better team than Frankfurt at the moment. Barcelona should be able to win in the upcoming Europa League match against them.

Obviously, if we compare Galatasaray with Frankfurt, Frankfurt might seem like a better team. but that obviously does not make them better than Barcelona, and the way Barcelona is playing I think They are not going to have too many problems beating Frankfurt. I am actually keeping a closer look for today's El Clasico match.

No doubt know Barcelona is far better than Eintracht Frankfurt but still it's not easy match for both teams with having some good and talented players but talking about Barcelona can't qualify easily it's harsh with their current form because with the arrival of Auba now they are having some good striker who can change things very quickly for them, and we already watch this all in last few matches.

Even I am still believe it's not easy to predict about any result, but currently Barcelona is most and hot favorite for me to win this competition because their current form is giving this impression they can thrash any team and with the eyes on next season they could be more deadly team for all opponents because now they already passed their worst time.

[lulumiya]

Barcelona are of course a far better team than Frankfurt now. But they are not an opponent that can be underestimated by Barcelona too. If Barcelona really want to reach the Europa League championship, I hope to see them performing higher than their matchup against Galatasaray the last time. They can eliminate Frankfurt easier by getting well-prepared for this game. As Sevilla have been eliminated now, I see Barcelona having the highest chance to win the title.

[sana54210]

I appreciate if you don't make Barcelona your favorite to win, maybe you have your own considerations. But I am very optimistic that Barcelona will win the Europa League trophy this year, because in my opinion of all the teams that have qualified for the quarter-finals, Barcelona is the strongest. I'd say it's seen an improvement in Barcelona's form since the start of 2022, especially in my opinion Frankfurt is not a team that can get rid of Barcelona. Because Frankfurt's performances have greatly decreased compared to the previous season. Moreover, the quality of Barcelona's players is also much better than Frankfurt. So Barcelona will beat Frankfurt and qualify for the semifinals. For Atalanta, maybe they will also qualify for the semifinals, because when compared to Leipzig, of course Atalanta's game is much better. But if Atalanta meet Barcelona in either the semifinal or final, I still believe Barcelona can beat Atalanta. Moreover, Atalanta's appearance is also inconsistent in Serie A and has decreased slightly compared to Atalanta's appearance in the previous season.

They will always be the most favorites right now because they are Barcelona. Even if they are having a bad season, they are fracking barcelona and they will always be favorites wherever they play. Hell they got out of the group stage, and yet they were one of the top 20 teams in the favorites for champions league.

This is why I do not think that it would be really that hard to understand why people think that they would be the most liked one, because they are Barcelona and they have a magnificent history. Just 10 years ago or so they won 6 cups in a single year, that is not really that common, only Bayern did that after them I believe. I know this is not reflective of current season, but it is reflective of the "idea" of Barcelona in people's minds.

[Unknown01]

The game between Barcelona and Frankfurt will be exciting. Barcelona already struggled against Galatasaray, so it will be interesting to see if they can regain strength. For me Barcelona was the favourite, but now I'm not so sure anymore. We‘ll see 

I wouldn't say that Barcelona actually struggled against Galatasaray but it was certainly a little too close for comfort. Actually, I thought they will win by a better margin cause over 80% ball position was controlled by Barcelona at that match. Anyway, they did get the win and that's all matters.
Frankfurt is not an easy opponent for Barcelona at the moment. but I still think Barcelona is better than them. and Barcelona should win this match against Frankfurt. if they don't it will be really surprising.

Football is full of surprises, Barcelona just won 2-1 against Galatasaray and today they are playing a great game against Real. The dayform of the team also makes a big difference and Frankfurt has chances but in my opinion only very small ones. Barcelona are currently the clear favorites for the title, but surprises are always possible 

[BuNga_cute]

I appreciate if you don't make Barcelona your favorite to win, maybe you have your own considerations. But I am very optimistic that Barcelona will win the Europa League trophy this year, because in my opinion of all the teams that have qualified for the quarter-finals, Barcelona is the strongest. I'd say it's seen an improvement in Barcelona's form since the start of 2022, especially in my opinion Frankfurt is not a team that can get rid of Barcelona. Because Frankfurt's performances have greatly decreased compared to the previous season. Moreover, the quality of Barcelona's players is also much better than Frankfurt. So Barcelona will beat Frankfurt and qualify for the semifinals. For Atalanta, maybe they will also qualify for the semifinals, because when compared to Leipzig, of course Atalanta's game is much better. But if Atalanta meet Barcelona in either the semifinal or final, I still believe Barcelona can beat Atalanta. Moreover, Atalanta's appearance is also inconsistent in Serie A and has decreased slightly compared to Atalanta's appearance in the previous season.

They will always be the most favorites right now because they are Barcelona. Even if they are having a bad season, they are fracking barcelona and they will always be favorites wherever they play. Hell they got out of the group stage, and yet they were one of the top 20 teams in the favorites for champions league.

This is why I do not think that it would be really that hard to understand why people think that they would be the most liked one, because they are Barcelona and they have a magnificent history. Just 10 years ago or so they won 6 cups in a single year, that is not really that common, only Bayern did that after them I believe. I know this is not reflective of current season, but it is reflective of the "idea" of Barcelona in people's minds.

If we look at how Barcelona faced Galatasaray it was quite difficult to win, this makes some people doubt Barcelona to go further in the Europa
League. It is true that there is no 100% guarantee that Barcelona will win the Europa League trophy, but because the Europa League is the only
trophy that Barcelona can win this season, I'm sure Barcelona will try their best to win it. And seeing Barcelona's increasingly consistent form
in La Liga, then how Barcelona finally won the match against Real Madrid in La Liga, makes me even more optimistic that they can win
the Europa League. Moreover, Barcelona's next opponent is Frankfurt, which in the Bundesliga competition the game is inconsistent, then when
facing Betis previously in the second leg, it can also be said to be lucky because Betis players made an own goal. So I think Barcelona can beat
Frankfurt and get to the semifinals, because like you said Barcelona have a very good history as a big team, and they will prove it by winning
the Europa League trophy.

[Velvet78]

I think that the qualifiers for the semi-finals are going to be Atalanta, Rangers, Barcelona and West Ham. Atalanta are going to have a really difficult matchup against Leipzig that's a sure thing. But they already eliminated a very difficult opponent like Bayer Leverkusen. It wasn't easy but they won both of the games by one goal each. I think that the first game against Leipzig would end in a draw but Atalanta would win in the second leg. And West Ham can also have a big difficulty against Lyon as they eliminated Porto before this round. But West Ham eliminated one of the favourites of the title which was Sevilla. I think they will do the same to Lyon.

[EdenHazard]

I think that the qualifiers for the semi-finals are going to be Atalanta, Rangers, Barcelona and West Ham. Atalanta are going to have a really difficult matchup against Leipzig that's a sure thing. But they already eliminated a very difficult opponent like Bayer Leverkusen. It wasn't easy but they won both of the games by one goal each. I think that the first game against Leipzig would end in a draw but Atalanta would win in the second leg. And West Ham can also have a big difficulty against Lyon as they eliminated Porto before this round. But West Ham eliminated one of the favourites of the title which was Sevilla. I think they will do the same to Lyon.

I had the feeling that whether atlanta or leipzig between the two ... whoever come up as a winner in that match , they are going to win the europa league , mark my words! I had that feeling really strong , despite we are all can see how barcelona had a really great weeks .. beating everyone in the domestic league .

They are still the major contender indeed , but i choose to not picking them a a winner tho.

[AndySt]

I think that the qualifiers for the semi-finals are going to be Atalanta, Rangers, Barcelona and West Ham. Atalanta are going to have a really difficult matchup against Leipzig that's a sure thing. But they already eliminated a very difficult opponent like Bayer Leverkusen. It wasn't easy but they won both of the games by one goal each. I think that the first game against Leipzig would end in a draw but Atalanta would win in the second leg. And West Ham can also have a big difficulty against Lyon as they eliminated Porto before this round. But West Ham eliminated one of the favourites of the title which was Sevilla. I think they will do the same to Lyon.

I had the feeling that whether atlanta or leipzig between the two ... whoever come up as a winner in that match , they are going to win the europa league , mark my words! I had that feeling really strong , despite we are all can see how barcelona had a really great weeks .. beating everyone in the domestic league .
They are still the major contender indeed , but i choose to not picking them a a winner tho.

It's one thing to call Barcelona among the main favorites to win the Europa League, and it's quite another thing to call Barselona the main favorite It all depends on how the club will finish, when there will be a decline in results and whether this decline will occur at all. Therefore, I would also not be in a hurry to hang this title on Barcelona, given Xavi's not very extensive experience as the head coach of the team and it is still unknown how he will cope with the problems that have piled up, and these problems will come sooner or later anyway.

[Jasad]

It's one thing to call Barcelona among the main favorites to win the Europa League, and it's quite another thing to call Barselona the main favorite It all depends on how the club will finish, when there will be a decline in results and whether this decline will occur at all. Therefore, I would also not be in a hurry to hang this title on Barcelona, given Xavi's not very extensive experience as the head coach of the team and it is still unknown how he will cope with the problems that have piled up, and these problems will come sooner or later anyway.

After watching elcasico result last night optimist Barcelona have bigger chance for the winner on UEFA Europe League and they have impressive performance when defeating Real Madrid 4-0. I think 1st leg against with  Frankfurt looks as easy match for Barcelona close step to semi final but still waiting two or three weeks later for 1st and 2nd leg with held by FIFA match days. Everything have change with Barcelona gameplay right now after latest window transfer and success get superior central forward with Ferran  Torres and Aubameyang as potential player for Barcelona.