FC Barcelona already knows its eight rivals for the UEFA Champions League 2025/2026 league stage and one of these is Eintracht Frankfurt. The Germans were the 'Azulgrana' executioner in the 2021/22 Europa League quarter-finals, after adding a historic victory in Catalonia.

Barça finished third in group E of that edition of the Champions League, after only obtaining 7 points derived from 3 defeats, 2 victories and a draw. The group was made up of Bayern Munich, Benfica and Dinamo de Kiev, with the German club qualifying first with a perfect record, followed by the Portuguese club.

An open wound at Camp Nou: The night Eintracht eliminated Barça

Eintracht Frankfurt fans in the stands of the Spotify Camp Nou

This led to the 'Blaugrana' team being relegated to the UEFA Europa League, a competition they had not played in since the 2003/04 season. After eliminating Naples ('play-off') and Galatasaray (round of 16), Xavi Hernández's team would face Eintracht in the quarter-finals, with the 'Azulgrana' side as favorites.

However, the German team ended up signing what was a season to forget for the Catalans, who were eliminated by an aggregate score of 4-3, after a draw in Germany (1-1) and a minimal victory at the Spotify Camp Nou (2-3).

The match is remembered, in addition to the victory of the Frankfurt team, for the notable presence of German fans in the 'Culé' temple. Many 'Azulgrana' members and fans chose to sell their tickets to Eintracht fans, who populated a good part of the second and third tiers of the Estadi.

Finally, Oliver Glasner's team ended up taking the trophy, after beating West Ham (1-3 on aggregate in the 'semis') and Rangers of Scotland (1-1, 5-4 p.) in the final played at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium in Seville.

Results of the UEL 21/22 quarterfinal tie:

  • First leg (04/07/2022): Eintracht 1-1 Barça. Goals: 1-0, Ansgar Knauff (min. 48), 1-1, Ferran Torres (min. 66).
  • Second leg (04/14/2022): Barça 2-3 Eintracht. Goals: 0-1, Filip Kostic (min. 4, p.), 0-2, Rafael Borré (min. 37), 0-3, Filip Kostic (min. 67), 1-3, Sergio Busquets (min. 90+1), 2-3, Memphis Depay (min. 90+11, p.).

Barça will seek revenge against Eintracht, back at the Spotify Camp Nou

This has been the only previous match between Barcelona and Eintracht in official competitions, so Barça will have the opportunity for revenge and demonstrate why they are one of the favorites to win the 25/26 Champions League.

Barça comes from reaching the 'semis' in the previous edition, while the Frankfurt team had not played in the tournament since 22/23 (they fell in the round of 16). Dino Toppmöller's team secured their place in the league phase after finishing third in the 24/25 Bundesliga, behind Bayern and Leverkusen.

The rest of the rivals for the 'Culé' during the league stage will be: Paris Saint Germain (local), Chelsea FC (away), Club Brugge (away), Olympiakos (local), Slavia Prague (away), Copenhagen (local) and Newcastle (away).

Against Frankfurt, the team led by Hansi Flick hopes to play as local again at the Spotify Camp Nou, as long as the City Council and UEFA grant the necessary licenses to reopen the Estadi with a partial capacity. Otherwise, the match will take place at the Montjuïc Olympic Stadium, home of the 'Azulgrana' team in the last two seasons.