Eintracht hopes for Freiburg: How Frankfurt can still reach Europe

Eintracht Frankfurt enters the decisive phase of the season in eighth place – and no longer has international qualification entirely in its own hands. The 1:2 defeat against Hamburger SV has further worsened the situation: Because SC Freiburg overtook Eintracht with a 1:1 draw against VfL Wolfsburg on Sunday evening, Frankfurt has, for now, slipped out of the spots that currently qualify for a European competition place.

This means that, in addition to their own results, another topic suddenly comes into focus for the Hessians: the outcome of the Europa League semi-final involving Freiburg – and the question of how many starting places the Bundesliga will actually receive at the end via the UEFA five-year ranking.

Why Freiburg's Europa League run can matter for Frankfurt

After Bayern Munich's exit from the Champions League, part of Frankfurt's hope is now pinned on SC Freiburg. The Breisgau team must overturn a 1:2 first-leg defeat against Sporting Braga in the Europa League semi-final on Thursday evening to reach the final. For Eintracht, a Freiburg success would be valuable mainly because every progression by German clubs in European competition improves the national coefficient.

In the UEFA coefficient ranking, Spain currently leads with 21.781 points ahead of Germany (21.357). The gap is small enough that, with the right results in the remaining international matches, things could still change. If Germany actually overtakes Spain, the Bundesliga would receive an additional – fifth – Champions League spot for the coming season. In this scenario, the total number of European competition tickets would also increase: The league would then have a total of eight international starting places, and even eighth place could be enough for the Conference League.

This calculation is so relevant for Frankfurt because the team is currently eighth. Without a shift in favor of Germany in the association ranking, Eintracht would have to improve by at least one place on its own to be safely within reach of the international spots.

The 1:2 against HSV as a turning point – and warning signal

The trigger for the new dependency was the home defeat against Hamburger SV. Frankfurt had a weak first half, but still took the lead after the break through Can Uzun (48th). The guests responded promptly: Albert Grönbaek equalized three minutes later (51st), Fabio Vieira scored in the 59th minute to make it 2:1. In stoppage time, Rasmus Kristensen saw a second yellow card – another setback in a match that was doubly painful for Frankfurt: because of the points and because of its effect on the table.

Uzun summed up the situation after the final whistle accordingly: “Now it’s no longer in our hands. We all have to look at ourselves.”

Sporting director Markus Krösche was also clear after the match. “Anyone who makes such mistakes at this stage has ‘nothing to do with the fight for Europe’,” he said – and mainly criticized the lack of energy.

Dortmund as the next hurdle – and a match under special observation

On Friday evening (8:30 p.m.), Eintracht faces an away game at Borussia Dortmund. The sporting pressure is high, as Frankfurt needs points – regardless of whether the coefficient race still turns. BVB coach Niko Kovač, who coached Eintracht Frankfurt from 2016 to 2018, expects a match in which “a lot is at stake” for the visitors, and at the same time described Eintracht as “still a big club.”

Krösche relies on stability – despite coaching debate

Parallel to the sporting crisis, there is discussion in Frankfurt about the future of coach Albert Riera. Krösche publicly stays out of personnel debates and emphasized after the HSV match: “The coach is not an issue today.” At the same time, the sporting director makes it clear that he wants to continue his own path at Eintracht. At the OMR digital fair in Hamburg, Krösche said on the Bild stage that he feels “full backing” at the club. The contractual situation is also clear: Krösche is under contract in Frankfurt until 2028.

In terms of content, Krösche nevertheless speaks of a disappointing season – less because of a single league position and more because of the way the team is performing. “A seventh or eighth place can basically happen, but ‘this is not what we want’,” he said, looking at the team’s development.

What counts for Frankfurt now

With the setback against HSV, Frankfurt has put itself in a position where it has to do the math: points in the remaining games are a must – and at the same time, there is hope that the European campaign (with Freiburg as a key team) will further improve Germany’s position in the UEFA ranking. For Eintracht, this means: They have to deliver their part to even stay within striking distance. Whether eighth place will actually be enough in the end will be decided not only at Deutsche Bank Park, but also on Europe’s stage – and in the UEFA coefficient table.