Real Betis vs. Eintracht Frankfurt Predictions: Expect a tight game in this Europa League first leg

We’re into the last 16 of the Europa League, and there’s some seriously quality ties on offer. European heavyweights Barcelona are here, along with long-term Champions League sides, Porto and Lyon. Europa League specialists Sevilla face off against West Ham, and there’s numerous other tasty fixtures to come. Today we’ll be focusing on an intriguing game between Real Betis and Eintracht Frankfurt, and put together two tips for it.

Real Betis come into this game without a win in four, but overall, they’ve shown real quality this season. They currently lie in fifth in La Liga, two points off the top four, with only second place Sevilla and league leaders Real Madrid having won more games than them in the division this campaign. Nabil Fekir is the standout player for Manuel Pellegrini’s side, whilst the effervescent Joaquin will be hoping to end his Betis career on a high at the grand old age of 40.

It’s been an interesting season for Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt, who are currently occupying 10th place in the table, something which won’t have been in the plans pre-season. They did however sail through their Europa League group, winning three and drawing three of their six games, earning themselves a bye into this stage of the competition. Rafael Santos Borre leads the line for the Germans, and keep an eye out for attacking talents Jesper Lindstrom and Daichi Kamada.

First up, we’re looking for Betis’ talismanic playmaker, Nabil Fekir, to assist during the game. Fekir is Betis’ leading player when it comes to assists this season, with six in 25 games. He’s creating an average of 2.2 chances per game in La Liga this campaign, but has also assisted once, creating three big chances from five Europa league games so far. However, he’s a player in my mind who likes to perform on the big stage, and according to Wyscout (as of 28th February), he was joint-level with Bernardo Silva for the most pre-assists in Europe’s top five leagues this season, with six to his name.

Overall, the Spanish side will be looking to him to make the difference, and the price of 13/5 with Betfair and Paddy Power was more enticing than 19/10 with BetVictor.

Secondly, we’re taking the game to be a draw in the first leg. This is priced at 14/5 with the likes of William Hill and BetVictor, compared to 13/5 with Betfred. Both sides come into the game in questionable form, as previously mentioned, and I’m expecting it to be a very edgy tie. Betis are ranked 9th in La Liga for home form this season, compared to being 2nd in the away table. Frankfurt are much better away from home this campaign, placed 3rd in the form table, compared to a measly 16th when at home. Betis suffered a big defeat away at Leverkusen in the group stages, but it was their unbeaten home form which ultimately saw them qualify for the knockout rounds.

Good luck if you’re following these bets, and please gamble responsibly.