Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Football London
Football London
Sport
Nathan Bliss

We simulated Chelsea vs Eintracht Frankfurt to get a score prediction for Europa League semi-final second leg

Chelsea have a slight advantage over Eintracht Frankfurt ahead of their Europa League semi-final second leg clash, as they host the German side at Stamford Bridge on Thursday evening.

Maurizio Sarri's side drew 1-1 in Frankfurt in the first leg, with Pedro getting the all-important away goal, after Luka Jovic had put the home side in-front.

Sarri rested the likes of Eden Hazard and Gonzalo Higuain in the first leg, preferring to bring them on from the bench if needed, but will he take that risk this time around?

Maurizio Sarri delivers massive injury update on N'Golo Kante ahead of Eintracht Frankfurt clash 

And, what will the final score be?

We used FIFA 19 to give us a prediction for this Europa League clash.

Chelsea vs Eintracht Frankfurt on FIFA 19

To set up this simulation, we used kick-off mode but didn't select a team to control; we then selected the teams and watched the match play out by itself, to give us a unique prediction.

The AI difficulty was set to world class, with the line-up updated with the latest injuries and suspensions.

(EA Sports)

Chelsea used their normal 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows; Kepa, Azpilicueta, Christensen, David Luiz, Alonso; Jorginho, Kovacic, Loftus-Cheek; Hazard, Higuain, Pedro.

Eintracht Frankfurt set up in a 3-4-1-2 formation, with the line-up as follows: Trapp; Hinteregger, Hasebe, Abraham; Da Costa, Fernandes, Rode, Kostic; Rebic; Jovic, Paciencia.

(EA Sports)

The game started off very cagey, with both sides trying to get a feel for their opponents, as they were playing very different systems on the night.

However, Chelsea grew into the game and started to control possession, using their extra central midfielder to good effect.

As you would expect, Eden Hazard was Chelsea's brightest spark, creating havoc with his dribbling and direct running.

A brilliant run from the Belgian resulted in the opening goal for the Blues, as he beat a number of Frankfurt players before passing accross the box to Matteo Kovacic, who slotted past Kevin Trapp to make it 1-0

Hazard himself made it 2-0 just minutes later, as a smart turn allowed him to swivel and get an early shot away inside the box, which flew into the bottom right-hand corner to put Chelsea in control of the tie.

But, as Sarri's side relaxed, the away side responded magnificently, with a fine finish from Goncalo Paciencia making it 2-1 on the night just five minutes after Hazard's strike.

And, just before half-time, another goal from Paciencia, another outstanding volleyed finish, turned the tie on it's head completely, with the German side now winning on away goals overall, with the score tied at 2-2 on the night and 3-3 on aggregate.

Chelsea had done all the hard work, but then threw it all away within 20 minutes, they simply had respond after the break.

Within six minutes of the second-half, the homse side were ahead once again, after Gonzalo Higuain produced an excellent overhead-kick, which took Trapp by surprise and flew into the near-post, to put Chelsea back in control once again.

Adi Hutter's side pushed for an equaliser, as a Frankfurt goal now would put his side through on the away goals rule.

However, Chelsea were now controlling things much better, slowing the game down and playing with caution, trying to restrict the opponent's possession and therefore, chances on goal.

(EA Sports)

Despite a late flurry from the Bundesliga oufit, Chelsea held on and advanced to the Europa League final, by the skin of their teeth.

Final score: Chelsea (4) 3 - 2 (3) Eintracht Frankfurt

Watch the match for yourself below!

In the end, Chelsea just shaded it, in terms of possession and efforts on goal.

As always, Hazard was Chelsea's best player, both scoring and assisting on the night.

(EA Sports)

Kepa was Sarri's worst performer, conceding two goals.

(EA Sports)

Here are the full-time match ratings for the Chelsea squad.

(EA Sports)

FIFA 19 predicts that Chelsea face a really tough game against Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday night, but if Eden Hazard is on song, they should be able to progress to the Europa League semi-finals.

Do you agree with this prediction?

What do you think the score will be?

Keep up to date with the latest news, features and exclusives from football.london via the free football.london app for iPhone and Android .

Available to download from the App Store and Google Play .

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.