Oliver Glasner: “The sense of anticipation is huge.”

Speaking to media ahead of Eintracht Frankfurt’s Europa League final against Rangers, head coach Oliver Glasner discussed his team’s route to the final, which included beating Barcelona and West Ham United.

“Our emotions in the Europa League have only grown in the last couple of months,” said Glasner. “I’m so proud of the players and what they’ve produced. They’ve made a positive impression in training, and I see a good mix of concentration, focus and calm.

“The sense of anticipation is huge. I’ve developed a feeling for the players this season, so I’ll observe them and think about what we need. Everyone’s fired up for the final.”

When asked who is favourite to win, Glasner replied: “I don’t think we’re the favourites. Maybe even the opposite because Rangers knocked out the teams that finished second and fourth in the Bundesliga. We ended up 11th. But in general it’s not an important question. Both teams absolutely deserve to be here. Everyone involved can look forward to this Europa League final.”

The 47-year-old also had praise for Rangers, who are coached by Gio van Bronckhorst: “I see a mix of West Ham and Barcelona. The Dutch influence of the head coach in their build-up play, but the British mentality.

“They constantly and robustly engage you in one-on-one battles and are willing to track back to recover possession. Everyone helps out going forward, too. They get the ball forward quickly, playing one-touch passing and getting behind the defence. They also get crosses in very quickly and get good numbers into penalty area.”

Originally a doubt for Eintracht Frankfurt, Glasner also confirmed that Jesper Lindström took part in the final training session and is fit to start against Rangers.

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