Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Barcelona Predictions: Barca to continue their great form under Xavi

A fixture that wouldn’t have looked out of place in the Champions League group stages in recent seasons gone by, Barcelona will look to continue their revival under Xavi as they face Eintracht Frankfurt in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final.

Barca’s renaissance under their iconic midfielder/manager has been extraordinary, with the club down in ninth place when he was hired, and numerous off field issues leading to serious questions about the club’s future. Fast forward to April, and his leadership has led the club to second place in La Liga, and they’re now favourites to win their first ever Europa League/UEFA Cup title. Barca should be able to put out a strong team, with Dani Alves missing out in this competition, meaning Araujo should be moved to right back, with Pique and Garcia in the centre.

Compared to last season, Frankfurt have had a poor campaign this term, finding themselves down in ninth in the Bundesliga, where they’re currently six points off fifth place in the league. They come into this game off the back of four consecutive draws, and would most likely rather not be facing such an in-form Barca right now. For the Germans, the impressive Daichi Kamada returns, as he looks to continue his good record in the Europa League.

As ever, we’ve previewed the game, and put together two tips for it.

Starting off, we’re looking at the visitors to win the game to nil. This has landed three times in Barca’s last five in all competitions, including impressive wins over Real Madrid and Sevilla in the league. Furthermore, Barca have only conceded one goal throughout their last five, showing how much their defence has improved recently under their new manager.

As previously mentioned, Frankfurt are on a run of four draws in all competitions, scoring just twice in those games. When it comes to their league form, Xavi’s side are unbeaten in 14 games, more than any other side in Europe’s top five leagues, and I expect that good form to carry over into this game, with a comfortable victory in Germany.

Next up, we’re looking at one of Barcelona’s many form players, the recently revitalised Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, to score 2+ goals on the night. Auba has scored a whopping 24 goals in the Europa League, with none of them coming from the penalty spot, a record that is only beaten by Falcao’s 27.

He's been in red hot form for Barca, scoring nine goals in 12 games, and being directly involved in eight goals in eight league games. He’s got four goals in his last five, including two in his side’s demolition job at Real Madrid, and his record in this tournament, combined with Barca’s revival, gives me hope that he will be on the scoresheet more than once on Thursday night.

Best of luck if you’re following these bets, and please remember to gamble responsibly.