UEL Semifinals Preview: Frankfurt vs West Ham Odds

Frankfurt, West Ham Vie for Spot in Europa League Final

Visiting West Ham will attempt to overturn a one-goal deficit in the second leg of tee Europa League semifinal vs Eintracht Frankfurt. Last week’s match was an exciting one and both teams have already advanced from previous knockout rounds in dramatic circumstances. Despite the Hammers getting healthy at the right time for this one, the Eintracht Frankfurt vs West Ham odds favor the German side.

Eintracht Frankfurt vs West Ham Preview

Location: Deutsche Bank Park, Frankfurt, Germany
Date & Time: Thursday 3 p.m. ET
TV: Paramount+, FuboTV, TUDN

Eintracht Frankfurt vs West Ham Head-to-Head

First Leg:

• West Ham 1-2 Eintracht Frankfurt

An action-packed UEFA Europa League semifinal first leg ended with a massive 2-1 Eintracht Frankfurt road win over West Ham. Frankfurt scored within a minute as Rafael Borre sent in a picture-perfect cross that Ansgar Knauff converted.

Michail Antonio equalized for West Ham in the 21st minute, but Daichi Kamada’s second-half goal proved to be decisive for Frankfurt. Last week was the first time these sides have met since 1975.

Frankfurt Holds Advantage

• Form (All Competitions): L,W,D,L,W
• Injuries and Suspensions: M Jesper Lindstrom (hamstring), D Christopher Lenz

Looking ahead to the Europa League semifinal second leg, Oliver Glasner rested a handful of his starters on Monday at Bayer Leverkusen. As expected, Leverkusen picked up all three points in the 2-0 shutout win.

Frankfurt are a disappointing 11th in the Bundesliga and are winless in their last six domestic matches. That means they’re mathematically eliminated from qualifying from European competition unless they win the Europa League. So, all hands will be on deck on Thursday.

Despite their poor form domestically, Frankfurt continued to manage excellent results in the Europa League. The Eintracht Frankfurt vs West Ham odds favored the Hammers in the first leg, but Glasner’s side has made a habit of winning as underdogs. They’re now on the cusp of their first European final since 1980 and have never been eliminated in European competition after winning the first leg away from home.

Must Win for West Ham

• Form (All Competitions): L,L,L,D,W
• Injuries and Suspensions: D Ben Johnson (thigh), D Angelo Ogbonna (ACL)

West Ham have dealt with their fair share of untimely injuries over the past few weeks, but both Kurt Zouma and Issa Diop and ready to go on Thursday. Craig Dawson missed Sunday’s match vs Arsenal due to suspension, but he’s also available to slot in the heart of defense.

The Hammers weren’t at their best in a 2-1 loss vs Arsenal, dropping a third straight match in all competitions. Antonio and Tomas Soucek were benched for rest purposes and left back Aaron Cresswell filled in at center back so not too many conclusions can be drawn.

However, it’s now Europa League or bust for David Moyes side. Mathematically eliminated from the English Premier League top-four race, West Ham need to win the Europa League to qualify for next season’s Champions League.

The good news for West Ham fans is that taking the Hammers in the second leg has been a good UEL Betting tip thus far. They’ve outscored their opponents 5-0 in two such matches and beaten European mainstays Sevilla and Lyon. West Ham are certainly capable of getting a road result and continuing their European dream.

What to Watch

Unlike the other semifinal, where both Rangers and Leipzig are in good position to qualify for the UCL domestically, this is the only hope for both Eintracht Frankfurt and West Ham. Also, the Eintracht Frankfurt vs West Ham odds list the match as a pick’em so it should be highly competitive.

With both sides struggling domestically as of late, this is their biggest match of the season and, in the case of West Ham, the biggest in decades. If West Ham can get an early goal, the momentum of the fixture could shift completely and their quality may be too much for Frankfurt to handle. If, on the other hand, Frankfurt can weather the inevitable storm and take their chances as they come, the hosts will be headed to a first European final in 42 years.

In any case, this should be every bit as watchable as the Champions League semifinals this week and we’re in for a treat. From a betting perspective, it’s worth noting that West Ham have conceded in their last four matches and Frankfurt have conceded in seven straight.