Eintracht Frankfurt may need a loss to secure Champions League
Eintracht Frankfurt could find themselves in a precarious position heading into their final Bundesliga match of the campaign. While the Eagles have not thrived, they could still grab a spot in the Champions League. This is even though Eintracht currently sits sixth in the domestic table and has only won three of their last 12 top-flight fixtures.
Germany recently secured an extra place in next season’s Champions League group stage. Due to upcoming format changes in the tournament, two additional clubs will take part in the expanded competition. Italy previously picked up one of these spots after Serie A teams performed well in various European competitions this season.
Eintracht Frankfurt can be sixth German club in 2024/25 Champions League
While Germany now knows they will have five clubs in the 2024/25 Champions League, they could have six. If this is the case, Borussia Dortmund would have to win the current Champions League title. However, the scenario is not finished just yet. A sixth German team would only qualify for the tournament if BVB triumphs and finishes fifth in the Bundesliga table. The sixth-placed Bundesliga team would join Dortmund and the top four German clubs in the competition.
Dortmund currently holds a slender 1-0 lead over Paris Saint-Germain in their Champions League semifinal matchup. The two teams will face off in the return leg on Tuesday, May 7th in France. The eventual winner of the fixture would then advance on to the tournament final later in the month. Fellow German side Bayern Munich is battling it out with Real Madrid in the other semifinal.
Dortmund has secured themselves a nice safety net for next season’s Champions League. As a result, they do not necessarily have to finish inside the top four of the Bundesliga. BVB is currently five points behind RB Leipzig in the current standings.
Eintracht could face Leipzig on the final day needing to lose
Nevertheless, Eintracht could very well find themselves needing to lose their final game of the season to qualify for the Champions League. The Eagles currently have a five-point advantage in the table over Freiburg. Assuming Eintracht has secured the sixth spot by the final Bundesliga matchday, their last match against Leipzig would certainly be worth keeping an eye on.
If Dortmund and Leipzig continue to fight for fourth place, Eintracht would benefit from actually losing to Leipzig on the final day. Dortmund’s last domestic match of the season comes against soon-to-be relegated Darmstadt. Although not a given, BVB will be overwhelming favorites to win the fixture. Dortmund grabbing fourth in the Bundesliga table would signal the end of Eintracht’s Champions League hopes.
The situation could get even crazier if Eintracht needs a single point to secure sixth in the table, but cannot beat Leipzig to help out Dortmund. In this event, things may get prickly if Eintracht holds a lead in the final stages of the Leipzig match. This particular scenario would be a potential nightmare for Bundesliga officials and the teams involved.
Nevertheless, there are plenty of situations that would need to align for such an event to occur. And Eintracht, Leipzig, and Dortmund will all hope to avoid dealing with these headaches.
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