Europa League
Chelsea Strike First In Frankfurt
We’re in the endgame now. Chelsea, closing in on another Europa League final travel to Germany to face off with Eintracht Frankfurt. The two teams share the common bond of holding on to that fourth place spot in their respective domestic tables. The Blues are coming off a hard fought draw with Manchester United. The draw gives them a leg up on the red devils, although it came at the cost of losing Antonio Rüdiger for the remainder of the season. Chelsea will look to get the advantage off the first leg while they look across the bracket and see Valencia and a common foe in Arsenal.
Leg One
Champions League play is the goal, and with talks of Eden Hazard possibly staying if that is achieved, the flame is lit. Chelsea and Frankfurt have never previously met, and the home squad would show no scent of fear. Frankfurt would take the lead early with Luka Jovic taking advantage of sloppy play and putting a header into the far corner. Chelsea’s response would come right at the stroke of halftime where Pedro would benefit from the efforts of Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Pedro’s push would rattle the identity of Frankfurt throughout the second half. The home side would be on the back foot for the remainder of the game. The captain David Abraham would have a wide open header go wide as time winded down.
The Home Stand
Chelsea will feel that they left chips on the table after today, but the away goal will be quite essential. The blues will rely on the legendary atmosphere of Stamford Bridge when they return home for the second leg. Maurizio Sarri will have a tall task deciding when to rest players as the season comes to an end. He will need to weigh his options of holding that top four spot in the Premier League and remaining solid in Europa play. Frankfurt can be confident knowing that they can get after Chelsea early. The Blues will turn their focus to hosting Watford this weekend who will be competing for silverware themselves.
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Written by Aaron Saunders
Photo credit to Chelsea via Twitter
