Europa League Final preview Theres little to choose between Chelsea and Arsenal
Chelsea and Arsenal go head-to-head in Azerbaijan, on Wednesday, May 29, aiming to finish off the season by claiming the Europa League trophy.The game has added significance for both sides, with neither having secured any other silverware during the current campaign.Chelsea Trent Williams Jersey are slight favourites with to beat Arsenal, although there is little to choose between the two sides in the betting.Blues bo s Maurizio Sarri has been handed a ma sive injury blow ahead of the game after Ruben Loftus-Cheek limped off during a 3-0 friendly win against New England Revolution last week.Callum Hudson-Odoi and Antonio Rudiger have definitely been ruled out Ricky Watters Jersey of the final, but NGolo Kante is expected to recover from an injury in time to take his place in the matchday squad.Juventus-bound Aaron Ramsey will not have the chance to sign-off his Arsenal career in style, with the midfielder on the sidelines with a thigh injury. Danny Welbeck, Denis Suarez, Hector Bellerin and Rob Holding are also out.Chelsea previously reached the final of the Europa League back in 2013, recording a 2-1 victory over Benfica.They breezed through the opening stage of the competition this time around, to claim top spot in their group.Sarris side swept aside Malmo and Dynamo Kiev in the first two knockout rounds, but were pushed much harder by Slavia Prague before claiming victory in their quarter-final tie.Chelsea needed penalties to see Jimmy Garoppolo Jersey off Eintracht Frankfurt in the semi-final, with Eden Hazards spot-kick proving the difference between the two sides.The Gunners last progre sed to a major European final back in 2006, but courtesy of a 2-1 win.They were untroubled during the group stage in this seasons Europa League, dropping just two points to qualify ahead of Sporting Lisbon.They were beaten away Jimmie Ward Jersey from home against BATE Borisov and Rennes in the knockout stage, but recovered on each occasion at the Emirates Stadium to progre s to the last eight.Unai Emerys side have easily seen off Napoli and Valencia in the next two rounds to book their place in Baku.The two sides last met in Europe in the quarter-finals of the 2003/04 Champions League, with Chelsea securing a 3-2 aggregate victory.The Blues have lost just four of their 17 meetings with English opposition in UEFA competitions, while Arsenal have failed to pick up a win in six matches against teams from England.However, the Gunners have lost just one of their last eight meetings with Chelsea in all competitions a 3-2 league defeat back in Solomon Thomas Jersey August 2018.Just two points separated the two sides in the 2018/19 Premier League standings and it would be no surprise to see the final decided by a single-goal margin.