As was the case in 2018-19, both the Champions League and Europa League may end up being all-British affairs this season.
Manchester City and Liverpool both won the first legs of their semi-finals against Spanish opposition this week and West Ham and Rangers will be looking to do likewise against German teams on Thursday.
West Ham are aiming to reach their first European final since 1976 when they were beaten by Belgian club Anderlecht in the Cup Winners’ Cup.
Winning a first European trophy in 57 years and only the second in the club’s entire history, is the big aim for David Moyes and his players, but success in the Europa League also represents their best chance of playing Champions League football in 2022-23.
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West Ham’s opponents are Eintracht Frankfurt who overpowered European football royalty Barcelona in the quarter-finals, winning 3-2 at the Nou Camp in front of an estimated 30,000 of their own fans who had made the trip to Catalunya.
Rangers, meanwhile, are hoping to play in their first European final since the 2007-08 season when they were beaten 2-0 by Zenit St Petersburg in the Uefa Cup in Manchester.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side has defied expectations to reach this stage of the competition, memorably eliminating Bundesliga heavyweights Borussia Dortmund in February, before seeing off SC Braga in the quarters.
When is the Europa League final 2022?
- Date: Wednesday 18 May
- Kick-off: 8pm
- TV Channel: BT Sport
- Live stream: BT Sport website, app or YouTube channel
Where is the final?
The winners of the semi-finals will head to Seville in mid-May with this year’s final being held at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, the home of six-time Europa League winners Sevilla.
The La Liga side’s hopes of playing in a home final were dashed by West Ham in the round of 16 when Moyes’ team overturned a 1-0 first leg deficit to win 2-1 on aggregate.
This will be the second time that the stadium has hosted a European final and the first in 36 years dating back to the 1986 European Cup final which was won by Steaua Bucharest against Barcelona.
West Ham vs Eintracht Frankfurt
First leg: Thursday 28 May (London Stadium)
Second leg: Thursday 5 May (Deutsche Bank Park)
West Ham fans might have preferred a glamour tie against Barcelona but Frankfurt are a historic club in their own right having won the Uefa Cup back in 1980.
Moyes’ side went into the second leg against Lyon in an unfavourable position after drawing 1-1 at the London Stadium in a game that saw Aaron Cresswell sent off.
Lyon dominated the ball in the return leg but the Hammers were sharp and clinical on the attack, with Craig Dawson, Jarrod Bowen and Declan Rice securing an impressive 3-0 win.
Moyes has worked wonders at West Ham but they will need to arrive prepared for an onslaught from the German side who are quick to gain possession and transition into attack.
RB Leipzig vs Rangers
First leg: Thursday 28 April (Red Bull Arena)
Second leg: Thursday 5 May (Ibrox)
Rangers right-back James Tavernier is currently the Europa League top scorer but he may have to focus on locking down Leipzig’s danger man Christopher Nkunku as his number one priority.
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The 24-year-old scored a brace against Atalanta taking him to 30 goals this campaign, while he also has 20 assists. PSG have been linked with a move for their former player in the summer.
Andre Silva is also a quality striker that Rangers will have to contend with, while Hungarian playmaker Dominik Szoboszlai has enjoyed a fine season.
Leipzig boast the second meanest defence in the Bundesliga behind champions Bayern Munich and are regarded as the favourites to progress against a Rangers squad that has been decimated by injury.
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