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Daily Record
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Scott Burns

Jesper Lindstrom set to face Rangers as Eintracht Frankfurt star man pushes for Europa League Final return

Oliver Glasner is confident star man Jesper Lindstrom will be fit for the Europa League Final against Rangers.

The Danish international, who was named the Bundesliga’s rookie of the year earlier this week, has been out since he suffered a thigh injury in the semi-final first-leg win against West Ham United.

Glasner had previously said the 22-year-old attacker was a doubt but confirmed he should be back training with his squad on Sunday and is likely to be in his squad for Wednesday’s final.

The coach said: “It looks pretty good, he trained individually on Saturday.

“He should take part in parts of the training tomorrow. It would be important for him to have two or three days of training so he is ready for the intensity (of the final).

"You can't just get off the treatment table."

Glasner has told his Eintracht Frankfurt stars to treat the Europa League final like any other game.

The Bundesliga side know if they can take care of Rangers then they can lift a major trophy and guarantee entry into next season’s Champions League.

Glasner knows the game is massive for his club but he knows the importance of keeping a lid on things.

He claimed: “We will train normally (on Sunday).

“Don't make the game bigger than usual. It's a football game like we had in (the previous)48 (games).

“The key is that we get our strengths on the pitch.

“We now have days of regeneration, then it's already final training.

“Now is the time to build joy, passion.”

Eintracht warmed up for the final with a 2-2 derby draw with Mainz.

Glasner praised his players for fighting back from a goal behind just days before their biggest game of the season.

He claimed: “I’m super glad we had the game today. (The first) 15-20 minutes were cruel, we weren't ready for the game and the intensity, Mainz deserved to take the lead.

(Getty Images)

“Little by little we picked up the intensity, not only because of the goals but also because we didn't allow anything else.

“From the 20 minutes I was very satisfied with the performance. It was important that the players felt that we needed the reaction.

“It was a successful dress rehearsal.

“If you can't flip the switch, you can quickly lose 0:3. I liked that the boys fought back, it's a character trait that sets them apart this season.

“We can tell the guys a lot day and night, but they have to implement it.”

Eintracht went full-strength in their final Bundesliga game while Rangers decided to use some of their younger and fringe players in the win over Hearts.

Glasner admitted that was his preference to go all out.

He admitted:”Rangers played with their strongest team on Wednesday.

“It's not an advantage for either of them. Both will be physically fit, very organised, attacking a lot.

“The Rangers will be ready, but so will we.

"Rangers are very physical, very well organised, very fast and they are very good at getting space behind the defence.

"They will be ready but so will we. We have a huge amount of respect for Rangers."

Defender Evan Ndicka came off against Mainz but is expected to be fit for Spain.

"It's nothing serious, he had blisters on his feet, it was rubbing. He had already had problems in training.

"Tuta also felt something, so we made three changes. Everyone got off well, everyone is fit.”

Frankfurt have already knocked out Real Betis and Barcelona and are hoping Spanish eyes are smiling on them again. He doesn’t think the heat will give his men too much of an advantage.

He insisted: “That wasn't an advantage for Betis and Barcelona either. Both teams will accept the circumstances as they are.

“The best thing is not to worry about the status of the game but how we can win the game. We need total conviction and will.”

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