The clubs approach the first round of the revamped Europa League in different spirits. Eintracht Frankfurt secured a convincing win in the Bundesliga, while Viktoria Plzen suffered a defeat at the hands of one of their main competitors in the domestic league.
Eintracht Frankfurt have been performing in line with their potential. Since the start of the season, the club have won four times and only lost to the superior Borussia Dortmund (0:2) in a match that took place at Signal Iduna Park. In their other fixtures, it doesn't matter whether they play at home or away; the team consistently scores two or more goals, and in three out of four instances, their winning margin has been at least two goals. As a result, Eintracht Frankfurt currently occupy a spot in the Champions League zone.
Viktoria Plzen once again finished third in the Czech league last season and has been unable to displace the two capital clubs. They already faced Slavia Prague in the previous round and were comprehensively beaten: fewer shots (10 (3) vs 19 (11)), fewer corners (4 vs 14), a poor expected goals (xG) tally (0.75 vs 3.37), and most significantly, the scoreline (0:3). Viktoria Plzen played that match away, and a similarly tough fate awaits them in Frankfurt.
Eintracht Frankfurt are expected to secure a confident win. We wouldn’t predict a complete rout, but a victory by at least two goals seems likely. Something along the lines of 2:0 or 3:1, hence our bet on the handicap in favour of the hosts.
