Maurizio Sarri: Eden Hazard Not Angry About Being Benched vs Eintracht Frankfurt

Eden Hazard had no problem being dropped to the bench for Chelsea's 1-1 draw at Eintracht Frankfurt in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League semi-final on Thursday, according to Blues manager Maurizio Sarri.

Hazard was a surprise omission from Sarri's starting XI, but he did appear from the bench in the 61st minute at the Commerzbank-Arena.

In his absence, Chelsea went behind to Luka Jovic's 23rd-minute header before Pedro netted a potentially invaluable away goal just before the break (U.S. only):

Sarri explained Hazard, 28, had to be rested because of the volume of games he has played this season, and he insisted the forward had no problem with it, per MailOnline's Adrian Kajumba:

"He was in the dressing room joking as usual, as normal. But he knows the truth very well. He knows very well that sometimes he has to rest. For a player that has to play 70 matches in a season, it's normal. A normal reaction."

Pedro's equaliser means Chelsea are the favourites to advance to the Europa League final after Thursday's return leg at Stamford Bridge.

After playing only 30 minutes, Hazard should also be fresh for Chelsea's Premier League clash with Watford on Sunday.

Depending on other results, a victory over the Hornets could secure Chelsea a top-four spot and guarantee them UEFA Champions League football for next season. At the very least, three points would put them within touching distance:

Top-four rivals Arsenal have lost their past three league games on the bounce and host relegation-battling Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday.

The Gunners ended their dismal run of form on Thursday in the Europa League's other semi-final, beating Valencia 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium.

As a result, it is looking ever more likely the final in Baku, Azerbaijan, on May 29 will be an all-English affair.

Given that Europa League victory also comes with a spot in the Champions League, one of those sides will likely be under extra pressure to triumph given the Premier League standings.

The most likely scenario is that in a potential Arsenal-Chelsea final, it would be the Gunners under pressure to win after missing out on a top-four spot.

That could play into Chelsea's hands, and Sarri has made it clear that, should his side reach the final, the only acceptable result would be to win it, per Kajumba:

"I want to reach the final against any team, Arsenal or Valencia. It's exactly the same for me, who we play. I don't want to [just] play the final. I want to win it. Three months ago, we were in trouble in a very difficult championship and it's not easy to react, but we were able to react. Now, in the last 15 days of the season, we are fighting for the top four and the final in the Europa League, so we deserve a trophy."