The streets of Barcelona found themselves suddenly flooded by a sea of football fans clad in white shirts, German voices echoing around the streets of the Catalan capital.
The Nou Camp is nearly 700 miles away from Frankfurt, but a fortnight ago it was almost indistinguishable from an Eintracht home game. Barça president Joan Laporta said he was “embarrassed and ashamed” at the sight of 30,000 German supporters in the ground, something which seemed to be a tipping point as his club were defeated 3-2.
On Thursday evening, those fans travel to London as Eintracht seek to reach their first European final since 1980 and only the third in their history; a penalty shoot-out defeat at Chelsea providing heartbreak at this stage in 2019 when they last came as close.
That was only the third occasion in which they had participated in the competition since the turn of the millennium and this campaign is only their fifth – and that is why their fans flock out in their droves when the opportunity comes around.
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West Ham, their opponents on Thursday and a team they also faced in a European semi-final in 1976, have noted the events of past matches and have stopped anybody based in Germany who does not have a booking history from purchasing tickets on their website, while season ticket holders who resell their ticket have been warned they could face a club ban for the remainder of the season.
Because of that – and the fact that Hammers fans will want to see their first match at this stage since the aforementioned semi – it seems their numbers inside the ground will be limited to their official 3,000 allocation, though it is probable more will travel with the intention of trying to enter the stadium.
West Ham boss David Moyes was complimentary of Eintracht, saying: “I think it’s really special that two teams with a history are back together. They’re a big name in German football with incredible support. I’ve been to a couple of games at Frankfurt and they’ve always had a really big support.”
Away from the stands, a summer of large-scale change in the club’s hierarchy at Eintracht, which included the departures of chief executive Fredi Bobic, manager Adi Hütter and sporting director Bruno Hübner, left them in a state of near-disarray. Andre Silva, who scored 28 Bundesliga goals for the Eagles last season, left for RB Leipzig and Filip Kostic, who has been crucial in the attack for a number of years, had a transfer to Lazio break down.
All of that contributed to a difficult climate. Oliver Glasner, who previously coached Wolfsburg, took over the reins and was tasked with guiding a team without their usual leadership through the challenge of both Europe and domestic football.
So it is little surprise that Eintracht currently occupy ninth in the Bundesliga, nine points adrift of even Europa Conference League qualification and with only one win in seven league matches.
At times their football has seemed to lack direction and they have struggled to muster a threat in front of goal without talisman Silva, yet surprisingly in Europe – where their opponents are, by design, of a much higher stature – it has been a different story entirely.
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Ordinarily a team would want to avoid letting opponents have much of the ball, but it is the opposite against this Eintracht team. Glasner’s side are lightning-fast on the counter and at their most potent, winger Kostic instead taking on a wing-back role in Europe.
That is why they were able to win against Barcelona – their opposition held 75 per cent of the ball but the direct nature of Eintracht’s play meant they actually tallied up more shots and outscored their hosts.
Thursday night’s tie will be an interesting contest between two very similar clubs and it is difficult to make any predictions. What is for certain, though, is that the Hammers cannot afford to risk underestimating Glasner’s men – or they could be set for the same fate as Barcelona.
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