Chelsea Vs Arsenal: match prediction, expected line-ups, reactions
This year, English teams rule the football world! Liverpool is playing against Tottenham in the UEFA Champions League final, and Chelsea is set to compete against Arsenal for the Europa League title. All the London football fans eagerly anticipate the Chelsea vs Arsenal final because the teams are lifelong rivals from this city. Check out all the predictions and expectations for this big match!
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One of the most promising games of this football season, the 2019 UEFA Europa League final Chelsea vs Arsenal, is about to take place soon! Every English football fan is excited to see the result of this game and dive into the unforgettable atmosphere. A lot of football experts already start making predictions about the expected line-ups, possible heroes of the match and the number of scored goals.
Chelsea vs Arsenal: all the latest news
Here is your handy guide on the big game that is coming! Chelsea - Arsenal is the final of Europa League 2019, which will determine the strongest team in this year's competition. The winner will get a special Europa League trophy that is handed every year to the victorious team. This year's finals of UEFA Europa League and Champions League are special because all four teams which compete for two big prizes are from England. It is the first occurrence of this kind in football history.
Where is the final of Europa League?
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This year Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, received the honour of hosting the big final. The game will take place at the Baku Olympic Stadium, which has a capacity of 70,000 people.
There has been a lot of talk around the fitness of Baku to host such a big event. The discussions emerged since the Arsenal player Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who is Armenian, was forced to miss the final because of political conflicts between Azerbaijan and his country, with Arsenal fearing for his safety. The Mkhitaryan incident became one of the hottest topics surrounding this year's final.
The football federation of Azerbaijan denied the claims that they had a say in this situation, announcing that they provided all the safety measures for Mkhitaryan. The player himself confessed that it hurt him a lot to miss such a big match, which sometimes can happen only once in a footballer's career.
Another common complaint from the English fans was high travel costs from London to Baku. However, the heated discussions were not an obstacle for the game to happen.
When is Chelsea vs Arsenal match?
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Even though the competitors usually play their Europa League games on Thursdays, the final is set to take place on Wednesday, May 29th. Do not forget to tune in at 11:00 PM (local Baku time), which is 7:00 PM (GMT)!
Chelsea and Arsenal rivalry
There is a long history of competitiveness between the two teams from London. In the Premier League, their derby is one of the most watched and discussed. They have not always been primary rivals since Arsenal had other historic competitors from London – Tottenham and Fulham. However, with the rising of Chelsea to the top-class Premier League, the Blues were also added to this list.
Generally, Chelsea have more international competition awards than Arsenal: they have five trophies, two of which are UEFA Champions League and Europa League respectively. Arsenal never won these competitions, but they have two minor international awards which were won back in the 20th century. As for the national competitions, Arsenal is in the lead with 43 honours, while Chelsea has 25. Overall, Arsenal has 45 trophies, and Chelsea managed to win 30.
After 2019 final, someone's trophy count will change – the main question is whose. According to the odds on all betting markets, which are constantly being renewed, Chelsea is a favourite of this game. However, it is football, and anything can happen.
Chelsea vs Arsenal: the road to the final
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Both teams had a long road to the most important game of the tournament, but they went through all the difficulties with pride.
At the group stage, Chelsea played against such teams as PAOK, Videoton and BATE. They won all the games, only drawing 2-2 in the last match against Videoton when their knockout stage spot was already secured. The Blues had to play against Malmo in the last 32, winning 1-2 in the first leg and 3-0 in the second. The next team was Dynamo Kyiv, which they beat 3-0 and 0-5 respectively. The new challenge in the quarter-finals was Slavia Prague, which was beaten with 0-1 and 4-3 scores. The semi-final came with the new rival Eintracht Frankfurt, which proved to be difficult for Chelsea: they drew 1-1 in the first and second leg, only winning 4-3 on penalties.
As for Arsenal, they had a similar group stage path to their rivals. The Gooners played against Vorskla Poltava, Qarabag and Sporting CP. They came victorious in all the games, except one against Sporting CP, where they drew 0-0. They got BATE as their last 32 rivals, and even though they lost the first leg 1-0, they managed to secure the 3-0 victory in the second leg. The last 16 brought Rennes, where Arsenal similarly lost the first leg 3-1 but made their fans thrilled by getting a 3-0 win in the second game. In the quarter-finals, Arsenal played against Napoli and won both games 2-0 and 0-1. The similar situation occurred in the semi-final, where Arsenal beat Valencia 3-1 and 2-4.
Chelsea has slightly better statistics than Arsenal, even though the teams are almost in an equal position. Both have 11 wins, but Chelsea has 0 losses, and three draws, while Arsenal has two losses and one draw. Chelsea has managed to score 32 goals and make 25 assists in this Europa League season, compared to Arsenal who scored 29 goals and made 23 assists. Chelsea also conceded eight goals, while for Arsenal this number is 9. Generally, the Blues made 213 total shots, while the Gooners created 164.
Both teams are highly motivated to win the final game. For Arsenal, who delivered an underwhelming performance in the English Premier League, this will be the last opportunity to get the Champions League spot for the next season. Except that, Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech, who is a former Chelsea player, expects to win the final trophy against his old team before retiring from professional football.
The Chelsea coach Maurizio Sarri wishes to win his first big European trophy, and the star striker Eden Hazard wants to end his Blues career with a bang because he is expected to leave the club this summer, so this team will not give up either.
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Chelsea - Arsenal: who are the most dangerous players?
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The top goalscorer for Chelsea is a French talent, Olivier Giroud, who managed to write his name in the history of this Europa League campaign ten times. There are also Callum Hudson-Odoi, Pedro, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who all scored four goals respectively. Finally, there is Willian, whose goal count is 3. Except for Giroud and all the other goalscorers, Arsenal should watch out for the club star Eden Hazard, because he can always create a dangerous moment out of nowhere.
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In Arsenal, the most valuable player is a Gabonese sensation, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who helped his team with writing eight goals to his name. Alexandre Lacazette comes next with five goals, while Aaron Ramsey, Danny Welbeck and Emile Smith Rowe all have 2. Another player to fear is Mesut Ozil, the exceptionally talented midfielder who usually provides the attacking line with assists.
Chelsea vs Arsenal: expected line-ups
Before the final, Chelsea is missing a few significant players. Ruben Loftus-Cheek had an injury in one of the recent friendly games and will not take part in the final. Another questionable player is N'golo Kante, who survived a knee injury in training and doctors feared for him to be out for four months. However, he still went to Baku with his teammates and managed to walk without crutches.
Arsenal is missing Aaron Ramsey because of his injury, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan who will not take part in the final for safety concerns. Still, all the most crucial footballers for the team, namely Mesut Ozil, Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, are expected to be ready for the game.
The experts are making predictions about the probable line-ups, and so far, things are expected to be the following:
- Chelsea: Kepa, Alonso, Luiz, Christensen, Azpilicueta, Jorginho, Kovacic, Barkley, Hazard, Pedro, Giroud
- Arsenal: Cech, Kolasinac, Monreal, Koscielny, Sokratis, Maitland-Niles, Xhaka, Torreira, Ozil, Lacazette, Aubameyang
Chelsea vs Arsenal reactions
Both players and fans are already hyped for the big match. The social media pages of both teams, as well as the official UEFA Europa League page, are posting a lot of content related to the final. The fans are excitedly trying to guess who will win the game and what the score will be.
Players from both teams talk to the press and exchange their thoughts on the upcoming final. For example, Eden Hazard shared what the final game means to him.
Meanwhile, the Gooners are working hard and are ready to give their all on the pitch on Wednesday.
Chelsea vs Arsenal final is expected to be an intense match, where both teams have equal chances to win. It will be not only an essential game for London fans but all football enthusiasts all over the world. Get ready for the hurricane of emotions!
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Source: Legit.ng
