DFL confirms round 32 Monday fixtures for UEL semi-finalists Leipzig and Frankfurt
The historic first-ever duo of German clubs to reach the Europa League semi-finals will receive weekend byes on the 2021/22 German Bundesliga's 32nd matchday.
As unloved as Monday Bundesliga fixtures are within the German footballing fan scene, supporters of RB Leipzig and Eintracht will likely have few complaints about watching their teams contest them on May 2nd. The two Europa League semi-finalists will get the weekend off after their away legs on April 28th.
Eintracht, who must travel to London's Olympic Stadium to face West Ham United, will get three full days of rest before their league encounter against Leverkusen. Leipzig also get an extended regeneration period after their trip to Ibrox. A league showdown with Gladbach follows the UEL duel with Glasgow Rangers.
Wins for both clubs on Thursday night sent two German teams into the Europa League semis for the first time history. The two sides seek to be the first German team to capture the UEL crown since Schalke's famed "Euro-fighter" squad 25 years ago, back when the competition was still known as the "UEFA Cup".
The respective victories on Thursday night ensured that German football picked up precisely 1,000 points for the UEFA five-year-rankings from the second legs of European club tournament quarterfinal stages. Bayern's draw against Villareal on Tuesday, though highly disappointing, also helped a bit in this regard. Only England, with 1,715 points, picked up more this week.
German football will easily displace Italy for the third-place in the five-year-performance metrics next season. Bundesliga clubs lose only 9,857 points from the 2017/18 campaign whilst Italy drops 17,333 in the new five-year data-set.
The semi-finals are set! 🤩
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) April 14, 2022
🤔 Who's heading to Sevilla? #UEL pic.twitter.com/1vk29ef0fK