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Now we are down to the final two – and in a similar vein to Saturday’s Champions League Final, this game will be contested by two English clubs – Chelsea and Arsenal – who will take to the Olympic Stadium pitch in Baku, Azerbaijan on Wednesday evening – kick-off: 20:00 BST.
Date: May 29, 2019
Chelsea qualified for the Group Stage of the Europa League following their FA Cup Final victory over Manchester United from the previous season. The Blues were placed into Group L with BATE Borisov, MOL Vidi and PAOK Salonika. Maurizio Sarri’s side had no issues in qualification for the knockout stages with 16 points from a possible 18.
Swedish side Malmo FF proved no match for Chelsea in the last-32 with a 5-1 aggregate win, and a similar fate was dished out to Dynamo Kiev, who were overwhelmed 8-0 over two legs in the Round of 16. The Quarter Final stage saw Chelsea take on Slavia Prague. A 1-0 away win for the West Londoners, was supplemented by an entertaining 4-3 home leg victory to setup a Semi Final clash with Eintracht Frankfurt.
Following a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge, the two teams could not be split after 120 minutes in Frankfurt, as the tie went to a penalty shootout with the score line locked at 2-2 on aggregate. Chelsea looked to be heading out of the tournament following Cesar Azpilicueta’s miss to give the German side the advantage in the shootout. However, Martin Hinteregger and Goncalo Paciencia failed to score and Eden Hazard took full advantage for Chelsea with the last spot kick.
Arsenal also joined the Europa League at the Group Stage following a sixth-place finish in the 2017/18 season’s Premier League. The Gunners were placed in Group E alongside Sporting Lisbon, Vorskla Poltava and Qarabag. Arsenal also ended their league campaign with 16 points from their six matches.
BATE Borisov were Unai Emery’s opponents in the last-32, and the Bulgarians were beaten 3-1 over two legs. French side Rennes had Arsenal in trouble following their 3-1 opening win of the last-16 tie, but Arsenal won the return fixture 3-0 to book a Quarter Final spot against Napoli. The Gunners won both legs against their Italian rivals, and a meeting with Valencia ensued at the Semi Final stage.
The tie was comfortably in the hands of the English side after Arsenal won 3-1 at the Mestalla Stadium, and the second leg saw the Gunners win 4-2 at the Emirates Stadium for an aggregate victory of 7-3, to book a Final spot against Chelsea.
The subplot to this game is that winner of the Europa League will qualify for the Champions League Group Stage, however, Chelsea have already secured their place by finishing third in the English Premier League. Can Arsenal book their own place, or will Chelsea deny the Gunners in what could well be Eden Hazard’s final game in a blue shirt? Read on for our betting thoughts on this vital contest.
The bookmakers believe this game to be a relatively even contest, although Chelsea are the favourites to claim the trophy. Chelsea can be backed at the best industry price at the time of writing of 6/4 to win within ninety minutes of play.
The onus will be on Arsenal to attack in this game considering their quest for Champions League football next season, and that could appeal to some punters who can back the Gunners at the top value of 11/5 with Betfred. The Draw is not a result that either side would greatly appreciate, but that outcome is far from an impossibility, and can be taken with Unibet and Betfred at 12/5.
In truth, this is a difficult game to call, and on that basis, a Draw could well be the value pick here. Both teams know each other very well obviously and you can expect a closely fought contest throughout. At the prices, 12/5 seems reasonable value here.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Arsenal striker, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has eight Europa League goals this season, alongside 22 Premier League goals, and will be an obvious threat to the Chelsea defence on Wednesday evening. The Gabonese forward is a best priced 23/5 with 888Sport and Unibet to open the scoring, and he is the market leader.
Eden Hazard has been subjected to intense speculation regarding his future, with a potential move to Real Madrid on the cards following this game. The Belgian forward can sign off his Chelsea career by scoring the first goal here at 5/1 – again with 888Sport and Unibet. What appeals more is the 13/8 on offer with Ladbrokes and Coral for Hazard to score at any time.
Fellow Chelsea striker, Olivier Giroud has recently signed a new one-year contract extension to stay at Stamford Bridge, and the French World Cup winner has scored ten goals in the Europa League this season, and one more would place Giroud as the outright tournament top scorer. He can be backed at a generally available 11/2.
Aubameyang’s strike partner, Alexandre Lacazette is another player to consider, with the French forward also available at 11/2 with Betway and Unibet.
Notable others include Chelsea wide man, Pedro at 9/1 with SportingBet, while Mesut Ozil could be the man to be on at the tempting odds of 13/1 with Unibet and 888Sport.
After previously pinning our betting hopes for a stalemate in this game, we look towards the Match Result and Both Teams to Score market next, with the full-time result to be a draw, with both teams to score. This outcome can be backed at 10/3 with Betfred, and it is worthy of an interest.
Our Correct Score offering for this game is a 1-1 draw at full-time. Ladbrokes and Coral are the places to go for this selection at the best industry odds of 11/2.
If our prediction of extra time comes true, then a small investment on Arsenal or Chelsea to win on penalties at 10/1 for both outcomes could be a shrewd play. If you split stakes on these bets, it is effectively a 5/1 punt for the game to be decided by a shootout. For now, however, the following tips are for 90 minutes only.
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