Chelsea vs Arsenal LIVE
Uefa Europa League Final 2018-19
Venue: Baku Olympic Stadium, Azerbaijan
Date: Wednesday, May 29, 2019
Kick-off time: 8:00pm BST, tonight
Live stream/TV: BT Sport/Virgin
London rivals Chelsea and Arsenal meet in Baku tonight for an all-English Europa League Final.
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's future at Stamford Bridge is still in doubt, but adding a Europa League tiumph to an improbable third-placed Premier League finish would represent a fine campaign for the Italian coach.
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.
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Chelsea vs Arsenal team news and line-ups
Chelsea XI: Kepa; Azpilicueta, Christensen, David Luiz, Emerson; Jorginho, Kante, Kovacic; Pedro, Giroud, Hazard
Subs: Caballero, Cumming, Alonso, Barkley, Higuaín, Zappacosta, Willian, Cahill, Ampadu, Gallagher, McEachran
Arsenal XI: Cech; Koscielny, Sokratis, Monreal; Maitland-Niles, Torreira, Xhaka, Kolasinac; Lacazette, Aubmeyang, Ozil
Subs: Leno, Lichtsteiner, Mustafi, Jenkinson, Elneny, Guendouzi, Willock, Saka, Amaechi, Iwobi, Nketiah, Welbeck
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.
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.
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.
