Three talking points ahead of Eintracht Frankfurt vs Barcelona

April promises to be an exhausting month for Barcelona. In 30 days, the Catalans face seven fixtures, the second of which is scheduled for Thursday night.

The team are on an unprecedented high at the moment and aim to use the momentum to get them past the congested fixture list.

The quarterfinals of the UEFA Europa League sees the La Liga side pitted against Eintracht Frankfurt. The Germans sit ninth on the Bundesliga table, 27 points behind leaders Bayern Munich.

Frankfurt got the better of Real Betis with a 3-2 aggregate score to advance from the Round of 16 and now face Xavi’s side. Here are three talking points ahead of Barcelona’s clash against Eintracht Frankfurt.

1. An away first leg

UEFA competitions have traditionally been heavily influenced by the venue of fixtures. A lot of importance has been placed on whether a team hosts the first or second leg of a clash, for the latter gives them the home advantage in the more crucial game.

Moreover, the concept of away goals getting a higher weightage further skewed teams’ tactics.

This season, the away goal rule has been scrapped. However, Barcelona know better than other teams the pressure of playing the second leg away from home. All of the Catalans’ UCL humiliations, from Roma to Anfield, have come at the opponent’s fortresses.

The last two rounds in the Europa League have seen Xavi’s side play the first leg at home. Against both Napoli and Galatasaray, Barcelona headed into the second leg in a must-win scenario away from Camp Nou.

That situation changes for the upcoming game. The first game between Barcelona and Eintracht Frankfurt will be held in Germany. This gives Xavi some much-needed breathing space and a chance to shuffle his cards.

Very few teams in the world can boast of the luxury of having 100,000 people behind their back in a home game. While the team will indeed look to seal the win at the earliest, even a draw in Germany would bode well for them, given the support they have waiting next week.

2. The battle on the right flank

Of all the player matchups to look out for in tomorrow’s fixture, the spotlight will be on how Xavi manages to contain Filip Kostic.

The Serbian international has been in sensational form this season, forming the backbone of Oliver Glasner’s side. While he has only one goal and two assists in Bundesliga this season, he is a player whose brilliance does not reflect in statistics.

Kostic plays as a left-wingback but has been given a free role in the attack. With three centre-backs forming a solid defensive line behind him, the Serbian has no responsibilities in defence. Thus, the team unlock his full potential.

The 29-year-old is technically astute and can find incisive passes even from the most congested spaces.

He can break down opposition lines with ease as reflected in his 2.3 key passes per ninety minutes. An example of his capabilities was visible recently, when he created six chances in Frankfurt’s 0-0 draw against Greuther Furth.

Xavi does not have a direct answer to this problem, for Dani Alves is unavailable and Sergino Dest is injured. Given the circumstances, one could expect Ronald Araujo to start at right-back on the night, as he did against Real Madrid.

The Uruguayan did a phenomenal job of stopping Vinicius Jr before the international break and will be tasked with an equally difficult objective on Thursday.

3. Pressure of the ‘favorites’ tag

Throughout his Europa League press conferences, Xavi has been confronted with one constant inquiry: his thoughts on Barcelona being the ‘favourites’ in the competition.

Though the manager has constantly downplayed the tag by diplomatically stating that all teams can win, one knows well that the Catalans are expected to emerge champions.

Being the only elite European club in the running for the title, anything less than a first-place finish would be seen as a failure. Moreover, their recent run of form puts further pressure on the Spanish side.

There is no doubt that Xavi has changed the mentality of the dressing room. Last year, one would expect the Blaugranes to crumble under the first high-pressure situation they faced. That no longer remains the case.

The pressure of heading into a game knowing that anything less than a win is a failure can often be overwhelming. It will be vital for Barcelona’s young stars to stay rooted to the ground. However, it is safe to say that they are in safe, and experienced hands to prevent the same.