Eintracht Frankfurt and Rangers are finalising their preparations ahead of the Europa League final at the Estadio Ramos Sanchez-Pizjuan this Wednesday night.
It is an unusual final, as neither team has regularly competed at this stage of a European competition in recent years.
It is not only the Europa League trophy at stake: the winner will be guaranteed a place in next season’s Champions League group stage.
The German side sit in 11th place in the Bundesliga and Rangers are in second spot in the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), and they would otherwise not be able to qualify for Europe’s top club competition.
The last time that Eintracht Frankfurt were in a European final was in 1980, when they beat Borussia Monchengladbach to win the UEFA Cup.
They almost reached the final in the 2018/19 season, but they were defeated on penalties in the semi-final against Chelsea.
Eintracht Frankfurt are the only team to have not tasted defeated throughout this season’s competition so far, and they have defeated Real Betis, Barcelona and West Ham United along the way.
Rangers’ return to the top
Rangers‘ last appearance in a European final came in 2008, but they lost 2-0 against Zenit Saint Petersburg in Manchester.
The Scottish club have had quite a ride since. In 2012 they were relegated to the fourth division after going administration, and 10 years later they are in a European final.
They were led to the final by Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who played for the club for three seasons at the end of the 1990s.
One of the key names ahead of the final is James Tavernier. Rangers‘ right-back is the top goalscorer in the competition with seven strikes.
For Eintracht Frankfurt and Rangers, the Europa League crown and a place in the Champions League is on the line. An unexpected final in Seville.
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