Daily Times

FRANKFURT: Eintracht Frankfurt are dreaming of an upset win over Barcelona at the Camp Nou on Thursday with 30,000 travelling fans expected in the Spanish city. Buoyed by holding the Spanish giants to a 1-1 draw in last Thursday’s first leg of the Europa League quarter-final in Germany, Eintracht head to Spain in bullish mood. “We’ll go there and beat them,” promised Eintracht’s sports director Markus Kroesche. Frankfurt fans are set to arrive in Barcelona in huge numbers for the biggest game in the club’s recent history. “Together with the fans, we want to achieve something big there,” said Frankfurt midfielder Sebastian Rode. The away support will be an “extra motivation”, Kroesche told German daily Bild, which “every player wants and needs”. At the same time, Kroesche admitted the team will need to “step up a notch” in their performance against the Spanish five-time Champions League winners.

Frankfurt coach Oliver Glasner says the squad was buoyed by the first leg result and “everything is possible”. Their German international goalkeeper Kevin Trapp made outstanding saves to deny Barcelona and expects another busy night at Camp Nou.

“Anyone who doesn’t believe in it now is in the wrong place,” he said. Xavi Hernandez’s Barcelona needed a Luuk de Jong header in stoppage time to win 3-2 at relegation-threatened UD Levante last weekend in La Liga. Barca boss Xavi was impressed with Frankfurt’s pressing when the Spaniards had the ball and how well the Germans counter-attacked.

“They are very good on the counter, they did that very well last week,” Xavi said Wednesday. The 42-year-old complained about the Frankfurt pitch last week, but insisted the Camp Nou turf “will be in top condition”. Frankfurt lost 2-1 at home to Freiburg last Sunday which left them mid-table in the Bundesliga, five points from the European places with five games left. Nevertheless, Glasner believes the best way to qualify for Europe next season is “to win the Europa League – then you’re in the Champions League next year”.