The first leg finished 1-1 in Frankfurt. Now it’s time to finish the job and get to the final. Given the madness of the last two days of Champions League football, we probably should be prepared for anything and everything to happen. Here we go! LIVE BLOG: PENALTIES: 4-3: COOL. AS. YOU. LIKE. Cometh the hour, cometh the Hazard. Chelsea are in the Europa League final! Bring on Arsenal. 3-3: ONE PENALTY FROM THE FINAL! Kepa guesses the right way and saves from Paciencia. 3-3: David Luiz draws us level at last. Just as intense as that night in Munich, but in the other direction. 2-3: KEPA SAVES! Straight down the middle and the Chelsea ‘keeper doesn’t budge. 2-3: Jorginho’s rather unorthodox style pays off! 1-3: Coolly slotted away by Jonathan De Guzman. 1-2: Trapp denies Azpilicueta, who aims low and to the left. 1-2: Kepa guesses the right direction but Jovic’s penalty sneaks past him anyway. 1-1: Ross Barkley with a near-perfect penalty, straight into the left corner. Trapp never stood a chance. 0 - 1: Haller scores. 120min: It’s the end of Extra Time and status quo is maintained. Chelsea 1 - 1 Eintracht Frankfurt, we’re going to lottery.. erm, penalties. 118min: Paciencia replaces Gacinovic. 115min: Controversy reigns as Azpilicueta pressurises Trapp during a corner and bundles the ball into the net. It’s ultimately deemed a foul on the Chelsea captain’s part. 114min: Zappacosta with a similar shot to the one he made just after coming on, Trapp tips it over. 110min: Emerson rushes forward and draws a save out of Trapp, who parries but Hinteregger steps in before the Chelsea left-back can capitalise on the rebound. 109min: Zappacosta is in a prime position to play a cross into the area with Chelsea outnumbering the Frankfurt defence 3 to 2. Unfortunately, he fires it straight into Abraham. 105min: ONE MORE crucial clearance off the line, the shooter is the same - Haller - but this time it’s Zappacosta who heads the ball away. 101min: Another long-distance ping by Barkley, same result as before. 99min: Haller seemed to all but have put Eintracht in front, wrong-footing Kepa with a left-toe poke but David Luiz cleared in acrobatic fashion and somehow kept the ball out of the net. 95min: Azpilicueta fires over with a first-time shot following a corner. Meanwhile, Gonzalo Higuain is Chelsea’s fourth substitute, he’s replaced Olivier Giroud. 92min: Barkley shoots from distance, attempting to curl it into the top-right corner but it’s wayward. FT: It ends 1-1.. in normal time. A further 30 to play now, with penalties potentially on the plate now. 90min: The big man Sebastien Haller is on, he’s replaced Ante Rebic. Two hugely potent goal threats up front for Frankfurt now. 87min: Giroud pulls off a strong diagonal effort from outside the box, which Trapp saves well. 86min: Ruben Loftus-Cheek makes way for Ross Barkley. Doesn’t make too much sense as a tactical decision. 81min: Azpilicueta gets away with just a booking, after a horrendous challenge on Gacinovic. 76min: Loftus-Cheek turns defence into attack in the blink of an eye with a strong run through midfield; eventually the ball makes its way to the right wing from where Zappacosta unleashes a trademark shot from distance. It stings the palms of Trapp. 74min: Christensen falls awkwardly after an aerial challenge for the second time this game. He’s unable to shake this one off, and is replaced by Zappacosta rather than Gary Cahill. Looks like Azpilicueta is going to play centre-back for the first time in almost a year. 70min: David Luiz goes for the spectacular, it’s from some way out and goes wide. 66min: Impressive defending from Hinteregger, who sticks close to Giroud and the Chelsea striker is unable to make anything of another near-post cross by Emerson. 62min: Willian is replaced by Pedro. 60min: Azpilicueta’s cross is parried by Trapp but there’s no Chelsea player waiting to take advantage of it. 59min: Kepa palms away a fierce volley from Gacinovic before watching an Ante Rebic piledriver whizz past the frame of goal. 56min: David Luiz plays a superb diagonal ball that finds Willian in a lot of space. Unfortunately, poor decision-making prevails and his half-hearted cross is straight at the goalkeeper. 49min: Chelsea immediately look to hit back, a cheeky back-flick by Hazard is met by the outer foot of Olivier Giroud, it’s well wide. 48min: Frankfurt equalise. A long ball from Hasebe is laid off by Jovic to Gacinovic, who plays a return ball that slices through the Chelsea defence and it’s finished off by the prolific striker. 1-1. Second Half: Eintracht Frankfurt kick things off. 45 to go! HT: It’s 1-0 at the break and Chelsea are clearly the team in control here. 39min: A move that started with some audacious skill from Jorginho in his own penalty area ended with Loftus-Cheek taking a heavy touch before getting crowded out in the box. That was swift transition at its finest. 37min: A slight scare as Jovic shrugs off Jorginho and attempts to set Rebic free in space, luckily it’s cut out by Loftus-Cheek. 27min: Eden Hazard twists and turns past Rode, sets Loftus-Cheek through in the area and the midfielder makes no mistake from an acute angle. 1-0! 24min: David Luiz flicks on Willian’s in-swinging free-kick and it’s cleared off the line by Hasebe. Coming closer! 22min: Hazard and Emerson combine to cross to Giroud, the striker tries to poke it in at the near post but his effort is saved. 15min: Da Costa tests Arrizabalaga with a deftly-executed first-time volley. Kepa does well to tip it over. 10min: Should that have been a penalty? Willian does excellently to beat his man on the right flank and cross into a dangerous area; Abraham prevents Giroud from getting to the ball and Da Costa does the same to Loftus-Cheek in somewhat contentious fashion! 9min: Jorginho seemed to have set Hazard free with a Fabregas-esque pass over the Frankfurt defence but Eden mis-controls it, letting the ball reach the ‘keeper earlier. 3min: Eintracht have the first attempt on goal; Jovic heads straight at Kepa from a corner.<doc-sep>In the FA Cup, they call it the “Magic” of the Cup. In NCAA basketball, they call it March “Madness”. I’m not sure what they call it over at UEFA, but whatever sorcery’s going on in the Champions League these days cannot be explained just by the usual “anything can happen in single-elimination tournaments” cliche. To be clear, it’s definitely something wicked that’s at work as we’re faced with the daunting task of watching a Champions League final between Liverpool and Spurs. But hopefully all its energies have now been spent, and we can enjoy a straightforward second-leg win over Eintracht Frankfurt after last week’s 1-1 away first leg draw. On a personal note, in addition to the football drama/tragedies this week, I’ve had two (TWO!) cars break down on me in the span of 12 hours, got swamped at work due to unreasonable deadlines, and I was also told that I tore my ACL and will need surgery and a year of rehab ... and that’s all before we’ve even gotten to Thursday, which, as we know, is the worst day. (Be sure to follow me on Twitter for other such riveting and on-brand content as that!) So, come on, Chelsea! Need this. Date / Time: Thursday, May 9, 2019, 20:00 BST; 3pm EDT; 12:30am IST (next day) Venue: Stamford Bridge, SW6 Referee: Ovidiu Hategan — who? (First Chelsea game for the 38-year-old from Romania, who was also in charge of Frankfurt’s 1-0 away win against Inter Milan in the Round of 16.) Forecast: Cool and rainy On TV: BT Sport 3 (UK); Univision Deportes (USA); SONY TEN (India); elsewhere Streaming online: BT Sport Live (UK); B/R Live (USA); SONY LIV (India) Chelsea team news: Chelsea’s final home game of the season, and possibly the last home game for Eden Hazard — not to mention the players whose contracts are actually expiring next month, like Olivier Giroud, David Luiz, and a few others. The Blues set a new competition record with a 16th match unbeaten in a row with the 1-1 in teh first, dating back to the 2012-13 semifinals, but none of that will matter if we don’t finish the job. That task has been made even tougher by losing N’Golo Kante to a hamstring injury — he joins Antonio Rudiger and Callum Hudson-Odoi on the sidelines. On the plus side, Chelsea did secure a top-four finish over the weekend and guaranteed Champions League football next season, but we’re here for winning trophies first and foremost, and this final is not only achievable, it’s must-have-able. Eintracht Frankfurt: Ante Rebic returns from suspension to join Europe’s most wanted, Luka Jovic in attack. The visitors know they need to score and are certainly capable of doing so. That said, they were absolutely destroyed over the weekend, losing 6-1 to Bayer Leverkusen — and you thought our European hangovers were bad! — to get drawn right back into the Bundesliga’s top-four race (teams currently placed 4-8 are separated by just three points with two games to play)! Incidentally, with Arsenal holding a 3-1 first leg lead in the other semifinal, should Chelsea finish the job here, we could set up all-Premier League finals in both of Europe’s biggest competitions! Previously: The game was one thing, but the fans were something else.<doc-sep>With a spot in the top-four of the Premier League wrapped up, Chelsea now shifts its focus toward reaching the Europa League final. The Blues host Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday in the second leg of the semifinals, aiming to build on the 1-1 draw from the first leg. Chelsea is in a fine position to advance but has to be cautious at the back to avoid an upset against a powerful attack. Here's how you can watch the match and what to know: Europa League: Chelsea vs. Eintracht Frankfurt Date : Thursday, May 9 : Thursday, May 9 Time : 3 p.m. ET : 3 p.m. ET Location : Stamford Bridge : Stamford Bridge TV channel : Univision Deportes : Univision Deportes Streaming: fuboTV (Try for free) fuboTV (Try for free) Odds: Chelsea -290 / Eintracht +750 / Draw +410 Storylines Chelsea: A 0-0 draw will be enough for the Blues to move on, while a 1-1 draw will force extra time. But if there is a draw with multiple goals for either team, the Blues would be on their way out. They are still the favorite in this second leg but have to be cautious about a team in Eintracht that is known for scoring early. Eintracht: This team is forced to score, or it will be out of the competition. Being more aggressive in attack will be needed and if Chelsea scores one, it's not a big deal because it doesn't really change the fact that they need to find the net. Expect them to go for more balls over the top against an inconsistent Chelsea defense. Prediction Eden Hazard starts in the second leg and scores twice as the Blues move on to the final. Pick: Chelsea (-290)<doc-sep>Expect the Blues to dominate in an open and entertaining encounter as they bid to earn a place in the final of the European second tier competition Chelsea hosts Eintracht Frankfurt at Stamford Bridge for their Uefa Europa League semi-final second leg clash on Thursday evening. The English side is undefeated in their last nine games on home soil in all competitions (W7 D2). The 2013 Europa League winners secured a draw from the first leg of this tie and should be clinical in front of goal when they host the Germans. They are backed to come out victorious, valued at (1.36) odds with Bet365. Adi Hutter’s men have consistently been poor lately, losing three of their last seven outings in all competitions (W1 D3). They conceded six goals in the first half of their last league game at Bayer Leverkusen, eventually losing 6-1. The Eagles eliminated Shakhtar Donetsk, Inter Milan and Benfica at different stages of the knockout round, where they have either drawn or lost the first leg of those encounters. They are considered underdogs as they are valued at a whopping odds of (9.00) with the same betting firm. A draw is priced at odds of (5.50). Chelsea have won all matches at Stamford Bridge in the Europa League this season and there have also been three or more goals scored in five out of the six games played there. Banking on a similar market is valued at (1.95) odds with Bet365. Odds correct at the time of writing. Please gamble responsibly.<doc-sep>
Chelsea host Eintracht Frankfurt tonight in the Europa League semi-final second leg at Stamford Bridge going into the game with a 1-1 draw. Pedro rescued the tie for the Blues following Luka Jovic netting in the first half at the Commerzbank-Arena, while in the other semi-final Arsenal are currently leading Valencia 3-1 ahead of the match at the Mestalla Stadium. Maurizio Sarri's side are going into the match as slight favourites, however with Ante Rebic back for Frankfurt to be alongside Jovic there is a massive threat for the away team. So what must Chelsea do to make sure they keep their noses in front in the tie and get through to the final? Hazard starts It was a surprise to not see Eden Hazard start against Eintracht in the first leg last week, with it being a massive game for the Blues and Hazard being the best player in the team. Sarri said that the Belgian needed a rest after playing ten games in a row, and when he came on he didn't make too much of an impact to get a winner. However, with just one Premier League match remaining on Sunday afternoon and top four already wrapped up, there is no doubt that Hazard will be starting tonight at Stamford Bridge. The Blues need their talisman on song in what could be his final ever match in a Chelsea shirt at Stamford Bridge. It might be something of a farewell for the 28-year-old and no doubt he will be given a decent send off. But all that emotion will have to be left to one side for another 90 minutes so that he can guide the Blues to a win. (Image: Ben STANSALL / AFP) Settle the early nerves With the tie perilously poised at 1-1, the longer the game goes on without a goal from the Blues the more nervous that the crowd will become and the more anxious the players might feel. What Liverpool and Spurs have shown over the past couple of days is that anything is possible in European football and Eintracht will feel they have every chance to get into the game. One goal from them and the tie swings into the favour of the German side, two goals for the away team and Chelsea will really be struggling in the tie. The Blues need to get that early goal, kill the game off if they can and settle all the early nerves that will be around the Bridge. Kovacic fills in for Kante N'Golo Kante missing from the tie is a massive blow for the Blues and one that is going to be a huge void to fill, which is going to be the role of Mateo Kovacic tonight. The Croatian has struggled at the Blues this season and when he has played in a more attacking role on the left he has only managed two assists in the Premier League, while also failing to find the back of the net at all. Kovacic is looking for way out of Real Madrid, but at the moment the midfielder has done little to prove that Chelsea should offer him that way out. Tonight is a big night for the Blues and for him personally and he really needs to step up to show what he can do if the Blues overcome the transfer ban and want to sign him for next season. Stamford Bridge brings the noise Playing in the Europa League is not what the Chelsea fans have been used to or what they would have wanted to have seen happen this season, but that has been the reality. Some of the teams that have come to Stamford Bridge this season have hardly been massive names, such as PAOK, BATE Borisov and MOL Vidi. But tonight Eintracht are a real threat to the Blues and the crowd are going to have to play as big a part in proceedings as much as the players will do on the pitch. The atmosphere inside the Commerzbank-Arena last week was electric and there is no doubt that the away end is going to be as noisy and you will hear this season. But the Blues fans are going to be at their most vocal to help the team get through to the final at the end of the month. Keep up to date with the latest news, features and exclusives from football.london via the free football.london app for iPhone and Android .