West Ham United vs Eintracht Frankfurt Preview: Probable Lineups, Prediction, Tactics, Team News & Key Stats

West Ham United will aim to take a step towards clinching a place in the UEFA Europa League final when they welcome Eintracht Frankfurt to the London Stadium.

The UEFA Europa League resumes this week with the penultimate stage of the 2021/22 campaign. The two semi-finals are scheduled to take place simultaneously, and West Ham United will play hosts to Eintracht Frankfurt in one of the two contests at the London Stadium on Thursday night.

David Moyes has overseen another memorable season at West Ham United, with his players showing they are cut out to play in Europe, where they have continued to perform as more than the sum of their parts. The Hammers topped Group H ahead of Dinamo Zagreb before claiming hard-fought wins over Sevilla and Lyon in the two knockout rounds.

But West Ham’s overall form has been hit and miss, with Moyes prioritising winning the Europa League and sacrificing their Premier League campaign in the process. The same can be said about their opponent, Eintracht Frankfurt, who have won just one of their last nine matches dating back to mid-March.

However, much like West Ham, Die Adler’s Europa League campaign has been a breath of fresh air. Oliver Glasner’s men first topped Group D ahead of Olympiacos before beating Real Betis and Barcelona in the two knockout rounds. Coincidentally, the win over Barcelona earlier this month is their only victory in the run mentioned above.

West Ham booted Eintracht Frankfurt from the Cup Winners’ Cup semi-finals in 1975/76 in both clubs’ only other clash in European competition. Ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the Europa League encounter.

Team News & Tactics

West Ham United

David Moyes does not have any new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of the visit of Eintracht Frankfurt for the UEFA Europa League semi-final first leg. On Thursday, the West Ham United manager will be bereft of just three first-team players.

But the problem for Moyes is that all three absentees – Kurt Zouma (ankle), Angelo Ogbonna (knee), and Issa Diop (ankle) – are centre-backs, leaving him short of options at the back. Craig Dawson is the only recognised central defender at the West Ham manager’s disposal, and he will have to create alternative solutions to form the backline.

Moyes will line West Ham in a 3-4-2-1 formation that will mirror Eintracht Frankfurt’s system, with Ben Johnson and Aaron Cresswell starting as makeshift centre-backs in a back three. Alphonse Areola will take his usual place between the sticks, as has been the case in Europa League matches this season.

Johnson and Cresswell’s selection as the centre-backs means Vladimir Coufal and Arthur Masuaku pick themselves as the two West Ham wing-backs. They will flank Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek in the second line of the press, with the two central midfielders likely remaining compact and deep to assist the makeshift backline.

Michail Antonio is an automatic pick as the central striker, and he will spearhead the West Ham attack against Eintracht Frankfurt. Jarrod Bowen and Pablo Fornals should play behind Antonio, with the duo taking up the central areas, leaving the two wing-backs to provide width higher up the pitch.

Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Areola; Johnson, Dawson, Cresswell; Coufal, Soucek, Rice, Masuaku; Fornals, Bowen; Antonio

Eintracht Frankfurt

Unlike his counterpart in the West Ham United dugout, Oliver Glasner has two new roster issues to contend with ahead of the trip to the London Stadium for the UEFA Europa League semi-final first leg. The Eintracht Frankfurt manager will be without three first-team players on Thursday.

Evan Ndicka and Kristijan Jakic are the latest absentees, with the duo suspended after their respective disciplinary infringements against Barcelona. Ndicka and Jakic have joined Diant Ramaj (knee) on the sidelines. But Tuta is back at Glasner’s disposal after serving his suspension.

As iterated earlier, Eintracht Frankfurt will line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation against West Ham, with Kevin Trapp taking his place between the sticks. Tuta and Martin Hinteregger pick themselves in the back three, with Makoto Hasebe likely to start as a centre-back in Ndicka’s absence.

Up ahead in midfield, Djibril Sow should fill the void left by Jakic’s suspension, with Sebastian Rode starting alongside the Swiss international in the middle of the park. The two wing-backs – Ansgar Knauff and Filip Kostic – will be pivotal figures for Eintracht Frankfurt, with the duo looking to bombard the flanks and keep their West Ham counterparts pinned back.

Rafael Santos Borre was one of the game-changers for Eintracht Frankfurt against Barcelona, and the Colombian striker will spearhead the attack against West Ham. Daichi Kamada and Jesper Lindstrom will play behind Borre, looking to overload the area in and around the opposition box.

Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Trapp; Tuta, Hinteregger, Hasebe; Knauff, Sow, Rode, Kostic; Kamada, Lindstrom; Borre

Key Stats

• West Ham United and Eintracht Frankfurt have paired up up for the second time in European competition. The Hammers previously eliminated the German side at the semi-final stage of the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1975/76.
• Eintracht Frankfurt are the fourth side to reach the semi-finals of the Europa League unbeaten, having partaken in the group stages. Two of the previous three went on to lift the trophy (Villarreal in 2020/21 and Chelsea in 2018/19), with only Liverpool in 2015/16 not ultimately winning the competition.
• Eintracht Frankfurt have kept just one clean sheet across their last 18 UEFA Europa League matches, conceding in each of the eight most recent outings. Despite giving away a goal in eight straight games, they remain unbeaten across those matches. They are the first team in Europa League history to let in a strike in eight or more games in a row without being beaten.
• West Ham United have scored the most goals via crosses (five) and the joint-most headed goals (five) of any side in the Europa League this season. Two of those goals were assisted by Aaron Cresswell from dead-ball situations. Only Rangers full-back James Tavernier has assisted as many goals from such scenarios this season.
• Daichi Kamada has scored ten goals in 20 appearances for Eintracht Frankfurt in Europe, with only Bernd Holzenbein (18), Tony Yeboah (12) and Bernd Nickel (12) scoring more goals for the club in major European competition (excluding qualifiers). Kamada has as many away goals in ten Europa League matches as in 45 outings on the road in Bundesliga (four).

Player to Watch

Declan Rice

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Declan Rice is arguably the Player to Watch for Thursday’s match, considering David Moyes is desperately short of central defensive options. While the English international will not play as a centre-back, his return to the side will add a layer of defensive reinforcement that will be crucial against a high-octane team like Eintracht Frankfurt.

Rice’s leadership traits will also come of use when the going gets tough, and he will need to be at his resolute best to drag the contest deep. With his West Ham United future up in the air, he can find no better way to showcase his credentials than by performing admirably on the pitch, as he has done all season long.

Prediction

West Ham United 1-0 Eintracht Frankfurt

West Ham United might be enduring a central defensive crisis, but they are a unit that can show the spirit and resolve when the backs are against the wall. The Hammers made Chelsea work hard for all three points last weekend, and we can expect more of the same against a rampant Eintracht Frankfurt.

The game will thus be anything but a goal glut, with West Ham looking to absorb the pressure from Eintracht Frankfurt for the most part. Jarrod Bowen should make the difference in the end, scoring the only goal to hand the Hammers a narrow advantage going into next week’s second leg in Frankfurt.