Frankfurt’s Lindstrom doubtful, Hinteregger back for West Ham clash

FRANKFURT, May 4 — Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Jesper Lindstrom is doubtful for their Europa League semi-final second leg against visiting West Ham United tomorrow.

Lindstrom was injured in their 2-1 first leg win in England last week and missed their loss to Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga on Monday. Hinteregger, who also missed the league game, will be back following a brief illness.

“Hinteregger trained and I expect him to be at our disposal tomorrow. As for Jesper Lindstrom it will be decided tomorrow before the game. All others are fit,” Glasner told a news conference.

Eintracht stunned West Ham 2-1 in the first leg, with both teams seeking their first European final in more than 40 years.

The last time the two teams met in the semi-finals of a European competition, West Ham won the two-legged tie to reach the 1976 Cup Winners’ Cup final.

The Germans’ sensational European run, that included eliminating former European champions Barcelona in the previous round, has not been matched in the Bundesliga.

Eintracht have no chance of finishing in a European qualification spot, having dropped to 11th in the standings with two matches remaining and with their Europa League campaign their sole focus.

“We should not be distracted by any Bundesliga result but approach the game for what it is. Second leg in a European semi-final. We don’t live in the past. We need to be fully focused tomorrow,” Glasner told a news conference.

“We expect a West Ham team that will try everything to win and reach the final. I told my players that our focus is to play to win. We will not attempt to manage any result.

“The order is clear: to play forward and to put their (West Ham’s) defence to the test.”

RB Leipzig and Rangers face off in Glasgow in the other semi-final following the Germans’ 1-0 home win in the first leg.

“The halftime score is 2-1 but we will not rest on this tomorrow and we will need an even better performance than in the first leg,” Glasner added.

“We need to operate as a team and can only win as a team. We must support each other in possession, secure the back and take care of counter attacks. We allowed a few in the first leg. We need to improve in those areas.”