Europa League: Eintracht Frankfurt vs West Ham United | H2H | Player Analysis | Prediction

West Ham United's surge for European glory will be tested on Thursday (May 5) as they take on Eintracht Frankfurt in the second leg of the Europa League (EL) semi-final. 

David Moyes' side trail 1-2 from the first leg and will have to be at their stellar best to produce the comeback. 

Both Frankfurt and West Ham are targeting European glory to get into next season's Champions League as their league positions make can no longer guarantee them a place in the top four.

Eintracht Frankfurt vs West Ham: Head to Head

Both Eintracht Frankfurt and West Ham had met only twice before last week's first leg. The 2-1 win for Frankfurt was the first time either team had won an away game in head-to-head meetings. 

The two previous meetings between the sides came in the 1975-76 season when West Ham reached the final of the UEFA Cup Winners Cup, as the Hammers won 4-3 on aggregate with a 3-1 win in London. 

The German giants had earlier won 2-1 in the first leg of the tie but failed to advance.

Player Analysis | Rafael Borre vs Jarod Bowen

Rafael Borre

Rafael Borre has so far played all the 11 EL matches for Eintracht Frankfurt and will be a chief architect if the German Giants are to progress. With a passing accuracy of 74 percent, the Colombian will try to dictate the passage of play. 

He got an assist in the first leg for the opening goal and added to his impressive tally of assists. This season he has six assists, two in EL and four in Bundesliga and has scored nine goals in all competitions, which makes him a tricky customer to handle.

Jarod Bowen

The 25-year-old midfielder has been a modern-day wonder for the Hammers as he has notched up three goals and an assist in the EL, while also scoring his 10th Premier League goal of the season against Arsenal. 

Bowen has so far accumulated nine assists in the season along with 16 goals in all competitions. Bowen’s presence could be a huge difference-maker in the return leg as he possesses the flash attack while playing from the flanks.

Eintracht Frankfurt vs West Ham: Journey so far

Alongside RB Leipzig, Eintracht Frankfurt are the only team yet to lose a game in this season of the Europa League, although their German counterparts have played only three games, having been drafted from the Champions League. 

Frankfurt knocked out hot favourites Barcelona in the last round and are the favourites to make the final despite their domestic struggles. They also knocked out Real Betis, another impressive Spanish team in the round of 16.

West Ham on the horizon will have to produce yet another comeback as they did against record champions Sevilla in the round of 16. While they knocked them out, Lyon was a happy hunting ground for David Moyes’ side as they won 3-0 away from home on their last trip in Europe. 

The Hammers had earlier finished group winners ahead of Dinamo Zagreb, Rapid Wien and Genk in the group stage of the competition.

Match Prediction: Eintracht Frankfurt 1-3 West Ham United (West Ham to progress 4-3 on aggregate)