Arsenal vs Valencia
Uefa Europa League 2018-19 | Semi-final, first leg
Venue: Emirates Stadium
Date: Thursday, May 2, 2019
Kick-off time: 8:00pm BST
Arsenal will look to take the focus off their dreadful recent domestic form when they host Valencia in the first leg of the Europa League semi-finals.
The Gunners are currently reeling after losing four of their last five Premier League matches - a run that includes three straight losses at the hands of Crystal Palace, Wolves and Leicester in which they conceded no fewer than nine goals.
Such a dreadful sequence has come as a real blow to Arsenal's chances of securing a top-four finish - they remain fifth and two points adrift of Chelsea with only two matches left to play - and their best chance of qualifying for next season's Champions League may now be to win Europe's secondary club competition.
They face a Valencia side who are also caught up in their own crowded battle for Champions League qualification in LaLiga. Like its Premier League equivalent, no-one seems to be able to seize the initiative in that race, with Los Che's narrow home defeat by Eibar followed by losses for both Sevilla and Getafe.
Valencia, currently sixth in LaLiga, denied Arsenal a reunion with Santi Cazorla by thrashing domestic rivals Villarreal 5-1 on aggregate in the quarter-finals. They also ousted Krasnodar and Celtic after being eliminated from the Champions League.
Arsenal - who could yet end up facing Chelsea in the final - eased past Napoli after also beating Rennes and BATE Borisov following a comfortable ride in Group E.
Arsenal team news and predicted line-up
Mesut Ozil missed Arsenal's 3-0 defeat at Leicester with a bruised foot and Unai Emery claimed the German would need to undergo tests on Monday and Tuesday in order to determine his availability for the visit of Valencia.
It remains to be seen if Nacho Monreal will be fit after a calf problem, while Juventus-bound Aaron Ramsey remains sidelined with a hamstring injury.
Barcelona loanee Denis Suarez has been suffering from a persistent groin injury and the trio of Rob Holding, Hector Bellerin (both knee) and Danny Welbeck (ankle) are long-term absentees.
Arsenal are likely to come up against two familiar faces in Gabriel Paulista and Francis Coquelin, while Emery managed Valencia between 2008-12.
Arsenal XI: Cech, Koscielny, Monreal, Sokratis, Maitland-Niles, Kolasinac, Torreira, Xhaka, Ozil, Lacazette, Aubameyang
Valencia XI: Neto, Wass, Garay, Gabriel, Gaya, Torres, Parejo, Coquelin, Guedes, Gameiro, Mina
Score prediction: Arsenal 2-1 Valencia
Arsenal have endured a truly wretched seven days and will need to improve significantly to avoid a second successive semi-final exit.
Valencia are also coming off back-to-back domestic defeats, though have lost only two of their last seven European games on the road.
The Gunners can take encouragement from the fact that they proved far too strong for a good Napoli team and have lost only one home match in two seasons in the Europa League.
Providing their confidence is not too low, they should be able to take a slender lead back to Spain for the second leg on May 9.
Arsenal vs Valencia tickets
To view the latest Arsenal ticket news and availability, click here.
Betting tips via Betfair | UK users only | Subject to change
Match odds
-
Arsenal to win on the night: 19/20
-
Draw: 5/2
-
Valencia to win on the night: 3/1
Semi-final odds
-
Arsenal to qualify for the final: 8/11
-
Valencia to qualify for the final: 11/10
First goalscorer odds
-
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: 10/3
-
Alexandre Lacazette: 7/2
-
Henrikh Mkhitaryan: 6/1
-
Eddie Nketiah: 6/1
Click here to find the latest match odds and place a bet.
TV channel and live stream, and online coverage
The match will be televised live on BT Sport 2, with coverage starting at 7:15pm. BT Sport subscribers will be able to stream the match online via the video player and the BT Sport app.
You can follow all the action with Standard Sport's match blog LIVE from north London on the night.
Head to Head history and results (h2h)
These two sides have met five times competitively in the past, with Valencia boasting two wins - including the 1980 Uefa Cup Winners' Cup - to Arsenal's one, with two draws.
The Gunners were knocked out of the Champions League quarter-finals on away goals in 2001 before being bested by Valencia again in 2003 - John Carew scoring on both occasions.
