Eintracht Frankfurt vs Rangers: Europa League Final team news and prediction

Eintracht Frankfurt and Rangers meet in Seville tonight to contest the 2022 Europa League final. Both sides have knocked out some giants of the game to secure their place in the showpiece and will be confident of securing European glory. 

Ahead of this one, we provide the necessary pre-match information, including where to watch the Europa League final, team news and probable XIs. 

When is kick off?       

Wednesday 18th May, 20:00 GMT       

Where is the match?       

Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, Seville (Spain) 

What TV channel is it on?       

BT Sport 

Route to the final 

Eintracht Frankfurt are yet to lose a Europa League match this season having won seven and drawn the other five matches on their way to Seville. They topped Group D with 12 points from their six games and, crucially, have been better on their travels than on home turf, beating Real Betis, Barcelona and West Ham in Spain and England, respectively, which bodes well for their final meeting with Rangers. 

The Gers, by comparison, have struggled on the road in the competition, though their sole away Europa League win did come at Borussia Dortmund. They did lose to FK Crvena Zvezda, Braga and RB Leipzig in the knockout stages, with Rangers relying heavily on their performances at Ibrox to book their spot in the Europa League final. It's up to the fans tonight, then, to make the Pizjuan feel more like Ibrox in that case. 

Team news 

The huge absence for Eintracht tonight is the injury to centre-back Martin Hinteregger. With Obite Evan Ndicka also a doubt, it could be two major blows for the German side in Seville. The Bundesliga outfit should go with a three-man backline once more with Filip Kostic and Ansgar Knauff providing the width from the left and right, respectively. 

For Rangers, Giovanni van Bronckhorst is expected to use a five-man backline, with John Lundstram set to drop in alongside Connor Goldson and possibly Calvin Bassey, the latter's use in defence allowing Borna Barisic to feature at left-back. Alfredo Morelos is absent and with Kemar Roofe a doubt, Joe Aribo and Fashion Sakala are battling to lead the charge in Seville. Ryan Jack has missed Rangers' last three matches and is set to miss out tonight. 

Probable XIs 

Eintracht Frankfurt (3421): Trapp; Toure, Tuta, Ndicka; Knauff, Sow, Jakic, Kostic; Kamada, Hrustic; Borre

Rangers (541) - McGregor; Tavernier, Lundstram, Goldson, Bassey, Barisic; Wright, Ramsey, Kamara, Kent; Aribo

Key battle: Filip Kostic vs James Tavernier

This one could well be settled by the impact of the wing-backs. Filip Kostic has been one of the stars of the Europa League, directly cotributing to six Eintracht goals, scoring three, including brace in Barcelona. The Serb has already scored in Seville this season, netting in the 2-1 win over Real Betis, and ranks second for key passes (23) in the competition.

However, Kostic faces a tough challenge on his hands to not only get the better of James Tavernier, but to limit the Rangers captain's influence. Tavernier is the top scorer in the Europa League, netting seven times, a fine return for a right-back. The 30-year-old won the WhoScored Scottish Premiership player of the season award and he'll hope to round off a memorable campaign with a Europa League winners' medal around his neck.

Score prediction: Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 Rangers