There are some huge soccer finals on this week, starting with the Europa League Final on Thursday morning (AEST)!
It’s been a long and gruelling campaign for all involved, but just two teams remain with the hope of heading into the off-season with some silverware. Check out our preview and betting tips for the Europa League Final below and good luck to everyone following!
Europa League Final Betting Tips
Chelsea vs Arsenal (Thursday 5am AEST)
Very interesting final we’ve got on our hands between two teams that regularly fight it out in the English Premier League. Both Chelsea and Arsenal would be a bit disappointed with how their domestic campaigns panned out, but both have a chance to finish off their season in emphatic fashion with some very nice silverware.
Chelsea
The Blues had a less than ideal Premier League campaign but still managed to finish in third spot on the table. They dealt with numerous injury blows and the ongoing Eden Hazard transfer rumours throughout their season, which didn’t seem to faze their run to the Europa League Final all too much.
Despite their lack of success by their standards in the league, Chelsea have remained dominant in their pursuit of a Europa League title. They’re without a loss all campaign, although they come into this off of a very lucky semi-finals win where they prevailed in penalties.
It’ll be interesting to see how the Blues line up in the final with so many queries surrounding the commitment of their players. One thing’s for sure – Blues supporters are desperate for a positive result to finish off a drama-fuelled 2018-19 season.
Arsenal
Much like their opponents in Chelsea, Arsenal had a poor Premier League campaign where they managed to finish in fifth position. New manager Unai Emery was able to instil stretches of great performances in his new side, but it wasn’t enough as they eventually fell short of a Champions League berth.
You can pretty much copy and paste the spiel about Chelsea’s dominance in the Europa League, as Arsenal have been much of the same this campaign. Unlike their opponents however, Arsenal have copped two defeats on their run to the final but come in off of a very nice win in the semi’s against Valencia (7-3 on aggregate).
The motivation levels throughout the early parts of the campaign for key Gunners players were a question, which led Unai Emery to state (directed at his players) “I don't want you to think you might not play in the early rounds and yet, when we arrive at the semi-final or the final, you say to me: "I am here to play."
Possibe line-ups
Chelsea: Arrizabalaga; Azpilicueta, Christensen, David Luiz, Alonso; Kanté/Kovačić, Jorginho, Barkley; Pedro, Giroud, Hazard
Out: Loftus-Cheek (Achilles), Hudson-Odoi (Achilles), Rüdiger (knee), Ampadu (back)
Doubtful: Kanté (knee), Cahill (Achilles)
Arsenal: Čech; Kolasinač, Koscielny, Papastathopoulos, Mustafi, Maitland-Niles; Xhaka, Torreira; Aubameyang, Özil; Lacazette
Out: Ramsey (hamstring), Denis Suárez (groin), Bellerín (knee), Holding (knee), Mkhitaryan (did not travel)
Doubtful: Welbeck (ankle)
Prediction
Both Arsenal and Chelsea would be disappointed with how their Premier League campaigns finished, however they would both be excited with the prospect of finishing their 2018-19 season with some silverware that most teams can only dream of. In saying that, Chelsea have built a reputation of winning matches on the big stage, whereas their opponents in Arsenal have struggled to do so in recent years. This leave us to believe that Chelsea are the team to beat here and are more than good enough to deliver on their generous odds.
