West Ham even competed for a spot in the final after winning their group, surprisingly eliminating Sevilla and Lyon unbeaten so far. For the Hammers, winning the Europa League would open the doors to the Champions League, given the impossibility of achieving it with a place in the league itself.
Eintracht Frankfurt reached the semi-final by dominating Barcelona at the Camp Nou and defeating the big favourite. On his way, he managed to beat his group, eliminating Betis and indeed Blaugrana. The same goes for Eintracht and West Ham: the final victory would allow the Germans to enter the next Champions League.
West Ham and Eintracht Frankfurt faced each other twice in their history, in the semi-final of the Cup Winners' Cup in 1976, when the English won on aggregate: Eintracht's 2-1 first-leg victory, West Ham's 3-1 victory in the return.