Chelsea vs Arsenal
Uefa Europa League Final 2018-19
Venue: Baku Olympic Stadium, Azerbaijan
Date: Wednesday, May 29, 2019
Kick-off time: 8:00pm BST
London rivals Chelsea and Arsenal meet in an all-English Europa League Final at the end of May, with plenty at stake for both clubs.
Maurizio Sarri is yet to win a trophy during his managerial career, but is now just one match away from ending a chaotic season with tangible success.
Sarri appeared to be in danger of being ousted at numerous points of his debut year in England, but a Europa League triumph - coupled with the club's improbable third-placed Premier League finish - would represent a fine campaign for the Italian.
As for Arsenal, finishing fifth in the table means victory in Baku is a must for Champions League football next season - but thankfully for Gunners fans, Unai Emery is a Europa League specialist having won the trophy with Sevilla in 2014, 2015 and 2016.
Chelsea vs Arsenal team news and predicted line-ups
Chelsea
The Blues are hoping that N'Golo Kante will be ready for the Final, with Sarri stating that the French midfielder needs a couple of weeks' rest to recover from a thigh injury.
Antonio Rudiger is definitely ruled out after undergoing knee surgery, as is Callum Hudson-Odoi following Achilles surgery. Ruben Loftus-Cheek will likely get the nod in midfield over Mateo Kovacic, providing the England international is fit.
Sarri faces a big call on whether to start Olivier Giroud or Gonzalo Higuain up front, though the former should get the nod given that he is the Europa League's joint-top scorer with 10 goals.
Chelsea XI [4-3-3]: Kepa; Azpilicueta, Christensen, Luiz, Emerson; Kante, Jorginho, Loftus-Cheek; Pedro, Giroud, Hazard
Arsenal
Henrikh Mkhitaryan will miss the Europa League Final after Arsenal failed to receive sufficient assurances from UEFA over his safety in Azerbaijan.
The Gunners confirmed they have made the decision the 30-year-old should not travel to Baku next week amid political tensions between Azerbaijan and Mkhitaryan’s birthplace, Armenia, over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Arsenal were unsatisfied that Mkhitaryan would be protected and after lengthy discussions with his family, there were also fears expressed about the reaction in Armenia if he opted to make the 6,000-mile round trip.
Aaron Ramsey meanwhile will not have the chance to sign off in style, with the Juventus-bound midfielder ruled out with a thigh injury.
Hector Bellerin (knee), Rob Holding (knee), Danny Welbeck (ankle) and Denis Suarez (groin) are all out as well.
There is better news for Gunners fans with Petr Cech fit for the last game of his professional career - a fitting end for the goalkeeper, considering it comes against his former club.
Arsenal XI [3-4-1-2]: Cech; Sokratis, Koscielny, Monreal; Maitland-Niles, Torreira, Xhaka, Kolasinac; Ozil; Aubameyang, Lacazette
Match officials
Referee: Gianluca Rocchi (Italy)
Assistant Referees: Filippo Meli, Lorenzo Manganelli (Italy)
Fourth official: Daniele Orsato (Italy)
Video Assistant Referee (VAR): Massimiliano Irrati (Italy)
VAR Assistants: Marco Guida (Italy), Szymon Marciniak (Poland)
Offside VAR: Paweł Sokolnicki (Poland)
Prediction: Chelsea 2-1 Arsenal
It is difficult to separate the sides heading into the final, though Chelsea's strong run-in, coupled with Arsenal's collapse in League form, should make the Blues slight favourites.
While Arsenal's front line is a match for anyone, their defence has struggled time and again this season - and that will give Sarri's side the edge if Hazard is anywhere near his best form.
Emery is a strong European tactician, but the Gunners' end-of-season slump means he needs a number of players to regain form against a Chelsea side who found their stride at the perfect time.
Europa League Final tickets
Arsenal have bemoaned their 6,000 allocation for the 68,700-capacity Olympic Stadium in Baku as "disappointing" and presenting the club with "extreme difficulties", while Chelsea have only been given 5,801 tickets.
Uefa has defended their allocation, stressing that the "geographical location and logistical capacity of airports in and around the host city" had to be an important consideration.
Click here for more information from the Uefa website.
Betting tips via Betfair | UK users only | Subject to change
Match odds (90 mins)
- Chelsea: 13/10
- Arsenal: 2/1
- Draw: 11/5
To lift the trophy
- Chelsea: 3/4
- Arsenal: 11/10
Click here to find the latest match odds and place a bet.
TV channel, live stream, and free online coverage
The match will be televised live on BT Sport 2, with coverage starting from 7pm. BT Sport subscribers will be able to stream the match online via the video player and the BT Sport app.
BT will also make the game free-to-air for those without subscriptions, meaning fans can watch via the BT Sport website and the mobile app.
You can follow all the action with Standard Sport's match blog LIVE from Baku on the night.
Head to Head history and results (h2h)
Arsenal and Chelsea must be getting sick of the sight of each other, with the clubs meeting in an FA Cup Final, Community Shield and a two-legged EFL Cup semi-final along with the League commitments over the past three seasons.
Arsenal beat Chelsea 2-1 in the 2017 FA Cup Final, and got the better of Chelsea on penalties in the 2017 Community Shield as well as in their EFL Cup semi last year.
The sides have only met once in an official Uefa competition, with Chelsea beating Arsenal 3-2 on aggregate in the Champions League quarter-finals back in 2004.
As for their overall record, Arsenal edge results with 77 wins to Chelsea's 63, and 57 draws thrown in for good measure.
