If Rangers needed any incentive to pick up their second European trophy, it’s the fact Eintracht Frankfurt are by some distance the biggest paradox side we’ve faced and their overall form since mid-March is absolutely horrible.

With just 3 wins in their last 12 matches, Frankfurt may have earned their place in the final on merit, but their mathematical overall form is downright poor. There are, however, TWO big catches to this:

Catch One: All three of the wins have come in the UEL, hence their making the final.

This is a side, this season, who, like Rangers, have saved their very best for the Europa League but it must also be remembered West Ham last night were down to 10 men inside 20 minutes, before Frankfurt scored the killer third.

That second catch? Not only have Frankfurt saved their best for the UEL, they have not lost a single 90 minutes in the entire competition.

Frankfurt are the only unbeaten side in the UEL, and that is what got them to the final.

They’ve seen off Antwerp (twice), Olympiakos, they then avoided the playoff round as group winner and dispatched Betis and Barca on their way to the semis, before West Ham also fell.

Barca may be rotten this year by their standards but are still second in Spain, West Ham are certainly strong, and Betis are not half bad either sitting in 5th domestically.

So Frankfurt, while the ‘weakest’ of all the sides we’ve faced, are canny in this tournament and know how to win. Domestically their form doesn’t reflect the form they’ve shown in the UEL, and they will be no pushovers.

Rangers have of course lost quite a few matches in the UEL over 90, so that vulnerability is there – but the resolve the Famous have shown against sides better than Frankfurt has been persistent.

Rangers can certainly win the Europa League, but they’re going up against an immovable object in Frankfurt.

We’ll just have to be an irresistible force…