Eintracht Frankfurt: 2021/22 season preview
Eintracht Frankfurt are off on another one of their famous European adventures in 2021/22 as the Eagles take flight in the UEFA Europa League once again.
Last season
2020/21 was the first season in three under Adi Hütter that Frankfurt weren’t competing in Europe, which looked to reinvigorate them after two long and arduous campaigns. They went the entire league season unbeaten at home for only the third time in their Bundesliga history and first since 1973/74.
Eight draws in the opening 12 games didn’t appear too promising, but they clicked into gear by the new year and were in the top four by February. They remained there until a Matchday 32 derby draw with Mainz saw them overtaken by Borussia Dortmund and a first-ever UEFA Champions League qualification slipped from their grasp at the very end. History was made, though, by striker Andre Silva, who finished second in the scoring stakes behind only the brilliant Robert Lewandowski. The Portugal international’s 28 goals was a new record by an Eintracht player in the Bundesliga, surpassing the 27 by 1974 FIFA World Cup winner Bernd Hölzenbein.
Watch: Silva’s record 28 goals
New arrivals
It’s been a busy summer in Frankfurt with a number of comings and goings at all levels. As well as Oliver Glasner replacing Borussia Mönchengladbach-bound Hütter, the Eagles have had to compensate for the loss of Silva after his move to RB Leipzig. They have brought in Colombian striker Rafael Santos Borre on a free transfer from River Plate, while highly rated 17-year-old Spanish winger Fabio Blanco was also won over to join from Valencia.
Fantasy Manager favourite left-back Christopher Lenz has arrived on another free from league rivals Union Berlin, and 21-year-old attacking midfielder Jesper Lindstrom has also made the move from Brondby in his native Denmark. Also looking to the future, 16-year-old Enrique Herrero Garcia is another Spanish teenager who sees a chance at Deutsche Bank Park and has joined from Villarreal.
How might Eintracht line up?
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What to expect
Once known as the Moody Diva, Frankfurt’s seasons used to be almost impossible to predict. However, they are now an established team at the top end of the Bundesliga table and have become a regular name in Europe. Eintracht will be looking for a repeat of their famous continental campaigns from 2018/19 and 2019/20. The former saw them go all the way to the semi-finals of the Europa League, only losing out to eventual winners Chelsea on penalties.
Domestically, they will be targeting another top-six finish that means they keep their seat at the European table, having put years of wandering the Bundesliga wilderness and fighting relegation behind them. There will be no DFB Cup run, however, after they were dumped out in the first round by third division Waldhof Mannheim. That ends the possibility of winning the competition for a sixth time, the most recent of which came in 2017/18.
Opening fixtures
DFB Cup: Waldhof Mannheim 2-0 Frankfurt
Borussia Dortmund vs. Frankfurt (Saturday, 14 August)
Frankfurt vs. Augsburg (Saturday, 21 August)
Arminia Bielefeld vs. Frankfurt (Saturday, 28 August)
Frankfurt vs. VfB Stuttgart (Sunday, 12 September)
Europa League: First group game (Thursday, 16 September)
Wolfsburg vs. Frankfurt (Sunday, 19 September)
Frankfurt vs. Cologne (Saturday, 25 September)
Click here to download all of Frankfurt's Bundesliga fixtures to your calendar
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