Arsenal lock horns with Chelsea in a highly anticipated Europa League final showdown in Baku on Wednesday in their final match of the season. Chelsea will be looking to win the competition for the second time, while Arsenal’s Champions League hopes rest on this match. Bet on the game here.
Arsenal will be looking to win their first ever Europa League title. They’ve had to work slightly harder for their place in the final, overcoming first-leg defeat against BATE Borisov and Rennes in the early knockout stages. Furthermore, they registered huge wins over Napoli and Valencia both home and away. This match will be particularly important for them given they missed out on top four in the Premier League. So the stakes are high for Arsenal because if they win, they’ll play in the Champions League and if they lose, it will be another Europa League season at the Emirates.
For Chelsea, the Europa League final is an opportunity to end an up and down season with a trophy which will be Maurizio Sarri’s first major honour as a manager. A trophy and a third-place finish along with Champions League football aren’t bad for Sarri’s first season at Stamford Bridge. It has been a pretty straightforward route to Baku for the Blues. Eintracht Frankfurt gave them a run for their money in the semi-final at home but they prevailed on penalties.
Betting preview
Unai Emery is a Europa League specialist. He won the Europe League three times on the spin with Sevilla between 2014 and 2016, making him the most successful manager ever in this competition. Under his tutelage, Arsenal have won to 11 wins in 14 this season, including remarkable wins over Valencia and Napoli in the semi-finals and last eight respectively. The Gunners have also been more convincing in the latter stages, unlike Chelsea who were rattled by Frankfurt at Stamford Bridge. Therefore, you can back an Arsenal Win at odds of 2.95.
Seven of Chelsea’s last ten Europa League games have seen at least three goals. Five of the last seven Europa League Finals have seen Over 2.5 Goals. Three of Arsenal’s last five Europa League games has seen three of more goals scored. Therefore you can back Over 2.5 Goals at odds of 1.90.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has netted 30 goals in 49 appearances across all competitions for Arsenal this season, including eight in the Europa League. Therefore, you can back Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as Anytime Goalscorer at odds of 2.60.
Team news
Arsenal have confirmed Henrikh Mkhitaryan will not travel to Baku for safety reasons. Danny Welbeck is back in training and could be involved.
Chelsea will be without N’Golo Kante, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Antonio Rudiger.
Possible line-ups
Chelsea: Kepa, Alonso, Luiz, Christensen, Azpilicueta, Jorginho, Barkley, Kovacic, Hazard, Higuain, Willian
Arsenal: Leno, Monreal, Kocsielny, Sokratis, Maitland-Niles, Kolasinac, Torreira, Xhaka, Ozil, Aubameyang, Lacazette