Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League slate features two teams struggling through the group stage. Eintracht Frankfurt are hardly contenders for the title, and their struggles come with little surprise. Barcelona being on the qualification bubble is a big shock. The Spanish powerhouse club needs a big performance on Tuesday to get back in the race.
Barcelona are -600 favorites to win and +800 to draw on DraftKings Sportsbook, while Frankfurt is +1200 on the moneyline. Let’s dig into a prediction and pick for this Barcelona-Eintracht Frankfurt match.
Barcelona vs. Eintracht Frankfurt prediction, pick
Barcelona has had a tough go in the Champions League group stage so far. There’s no shame in losing to Chelsea or Paris Saint-Germain, but losing to both has put them in a precarious position. Barca also dropped points by drawing Belgian side Club Brugge, leaving them three points behind the automatic qualification zone.
With three games left to play, there’s no more room for dropping points. Forget the automatic qualifying spots; anything less than three points in this game puts them at serious risk for elimination. With matches against Slavia Praha and FC Copenhagen to come after this, there is a path to the automatic zone, but it has to start with a win here.
Frankfurt is feeling even more heat than Barca. With four points through five matches, they’re squarely in the elimination zone. Their surprise top-three finish in the Bundesliga last season is looking like a flash in the pan as they sink lower in the table. Things only become more difficult now that leading scorer Jonathan Burkardt is out for at least another month.
If Eintracht want to pull the upset, they need some moments of magic from Ritsu Doan on the wing. The defense also needs to step up; they’ve conceded 29 goals in 13 domestic matches, plus 14 goals in five UCL games. Against Barca’s imposing attack, that is a tall task.
There’s too much quality in the front for Barca to lose this one. Marcus Rashford, Ferran Torres and Spanish wunderkind Lamine Yamal are an overwhelming trio for most defenses. Facing a leaky Frankfurt back line, they’re poised to run riot on Tuesday.
