Frankfurt - a fan's guide
Frankfurt city and football guide
Frankfurt city Money, money, money. Frankfurt is Europe's finance capital, the home of the European central bank. And by all accounts it was the continent's richest city in 2001. The Commerzbank tower, designed by architect guru Norman Foster is the tallest building in Europe. Home to money men and trade fairs, it's hardly selling itself as a great tourist and football trip, is it?
It's full name is Frankfurt Am Main, named after the river that cuts through it, and the skyscrapers in its bustling financial district have earned the skyline the nickname Main-hatten.
The city of Frankfurt, as pictured during the World Cup.
Admittedly there are cities in Germany with more to see and do, although there are a smattering of buildings and museums to fill up a few hours. But on the plus side the centre is clean, modern, and cheap and easy to get around. The Sachsenhausen district with its winding streets and cafe bar culture is a must visit any evening. It also has Germany's busiest airport - with a high speed link to the centre - and is connected by train to a host of other cities.
Eintracht Frankfurt: a fan's guide
Who are yer: The club
Eintracht Frankfurt can proudly boast it was the first German club to reach the European Cup Final. Not only that, it competed in probably the greatest final ever. However, the chest thumping ends there - they took a pounding 7-3 to the all-conquering Real Madrid.
The 2007-8 season saw a decent midtable finish, better than the previous season, although they never seriously threatened for a place in Europe. Frankfurt's mascot is an eagle called Attila. No, this isn't some prat in a costume flapping his arms around, it's a golden eagle who attends every home game. He even did an away trip to Berlin - apparently he flew.
They did lift the UEFA Cup in 1980, were early victors of the Bundesliga in 1958 and have taken the German Cup four times but decades of success came to an end with relegation in 1996.
Since then off the field issues over ownership have dominated the headlines and Frankfurt spent the next years as the Crystal Palace of Germany, a yo-yo club between top two divisions. However, they are back in the top flight and a cup final in 2006 saw a return to European competition after a ng absence.
Jay-Jay Okocha and Tony Yeboah are two of the best known old boys. Friedhelm Funkel is the present man in charge. Former Premiership star Junichi Inamoto and Croatia's Kreso Ljubicic among the recent signings.
Where do you come from? The stadium
New grounds in England are often on the edges of town. There's nowhere central left to build so the new venues are usually sandwiched right next to a retail park in the middle of nowhere. Good job they are both always near a train station (of course not) and aren't busy on a Saturday afternoon (of course they are). Fat chance.
The home of Eintracht Frankfurt is out of the city centre too. But no retail park here, no German Matalan to stock up on your jeans for £3 euro. It's in a forest.
Hop off the tram at the cunningly named Stadion station and you feel like you're about to set off on a nature trail. There's a drinks kiosk and then you're off down a country track with no football ground obviously in sight.
Up a track, through the woods and you finally find a world-class football stadium
But some 400 yards down and a turn to the right ,and the Commerzbank Arena ground rears up on you.
First opened in 1925 the ground, formerly known as the Waldstadion, was extensively rebuilt ahead of the 2006 World Cup to become the world-class venue it is today.
With a capacity of more than 50,000 the arena also boasts a retractable roof to protect the pitch, and players and supporters, from the elements. When the roof is on the noise inside the stadium is deafening. Be warned, they have been known to close the roof to keep the sun out too on bright days and thus turn the stadium into a sauna.
Perhaps the most impressive feature hangs high above the centre of the pitch, a huge video cube, with giant 33 square metre screens beaming to all four sides of the ground. The cube also houses the roof when it's folded in.
Home fans are on the west side of the stadium, visitors on the east side. For the best atmosphere in the home end, locals recommend the lower tier in the Westkurve or the west end of the Gegentribune.
Click here for a plan of the stadium
Whether the roof is on or off the arena has a great feel of space about it. The concourses are open with views across the forest - great in sunny May, be warned in the middle of February.
If you land in town but Eintracht are playing away, you may still be able to catch some sport in the arena - It's also home to one of Europe's most successful American Football teams, Frankfurt Galaxy.
We're on our way: Getting to the ground
The best way there is, as with most German venues, on the rails and this one is no different. If you're on tight schedule and your flight in is delayed worry not - you can catch a train directly from Frankfurt airport. That's the main one, mind you, not the one Ryanair flies to....
Take the S-Bahn route 8 or 9 from either the airport (Flughafen) or the main station (Hauptbahnhof) to Stadion, which is midway between the two. The journey takes around five minutes from either. One bonus is that if you have a match ticket the journey there and back is free, and extra trains are running on match days.
The vast majority of fans are arriving or leaving on this route which leads to congestion but despite the big crowds after the game you should walk straight on to a train and be back in town with the minimum of hassle.
Who ate all the pies? Eating and drinking
With the ground being sited in the middle of the aforementioned forest options for a pre-match pint are understandably limited, essentially restricted to the usual fast food options outside the ground and drinks inside. As above, be warned that the concourses are not enclosed so expect your beer extra cold as standard during the winter.
With this in mind the city remains a fair bet for pre-match drinking. An Irish bar directly opposite the Hauptbahnhof is a good bet and a popular choice with fans. A number of cafe bars also line the roads that fan out from the station, not the most desirable part of Frankfurt but OK during the day.
Bearing in mind the train journey and the long walk the other end, leaving the Hauptbahnhof any less than an hour before kick off is really pushing your luck, nearer two makes more sense. If you still miss that strike 30 seconds into a 1-0 victory... you were told.
One other pre-match option is the bars and pavement cafes centred around Hochstrasse - that is a five minute walk from Hauptwache station, also on lines 8 or 9 for the stadium.
The best bet by far for drinks is Sachsenhausen district, on the other side of the River Main from all other venues. The small district is a community within itself and its cobbled streets are teeming with bars and restaurants, including the apple wein taverns the city is famous for. Most are found around Affentorplatz. Your nearest underground is Schweizer Platz.