Villarreal vs Arsenal
Unai Emery is closing in on another Europa League title. The record three-time winner of the competition has led Villarreal to the semi-finals in his very first season with the club. But to reach the final, he must first get past one of his former clubs in Arsenal.
The Gunners have a history of knocking the Yellow Submarine out of Europe, but Mikel Arteta’s men will not head into this semi-final first leg in great shape. They have been in poor form in the Premier League and will be missing their two main strikers.
With the Europa League 2021 betting odds in their favour, can Emery and Villarreal get their revenge over the Gunners?
Talking Points
Yellow Submarine have plenty of weapons
Unai Emery’s Villarreal will head into the first leg against Arsenal on the back of a 2-1 home defeat to Barcelona this weekend. It was the Yellow Submarine’s second successive league defeat after also suffering a shock loss to relegation-threatened Deportivo Alaves.
The red-hot Gerard Moreno failed to score in both games and has finally cooled off after his blistering goalscoring run. The Spanish international had reeled off nine goals in his last seven appearances and has 26 goals in total.
Moreno has been brilliant in the Europa League this season. He has scored four of his six goals in the competition during the knockout phase, including two in their 3-1 aggregate win over Dinamo Zagreb in the quarter-finals.
Striker partner Paco Alcacer has also had his share of Europa League 2021 highlights with six goals. After a rough start to 2021, the Spanish striker is starting to pick up some form with two goals and an assist in his last four matches.
Samuel Chukwueze is similarly in fine form at the moment and can cause Arsenal problems down the right-wing. The 21-year-old Nigerian has three goals and an assist in his last four games.
One potential concern for Villarreal, though, will be their shaky home form. They have won just six of their last 15 games at the Estadio de la Ceramica, with five draws and four defeats.
However, four of those wins have come in the Europa League, where they have been nearly perfect. The Yellow Submarine are still unbeaten in this year’s competition, with 11 wins and a draw in 12 matches.
Gunners missing significant ammunition
Arsenal’s season of inconsistency continues. After big away wins over Sheffield United (0-3) and Slavia Prague (0-4) in the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final, they needed a late Eddie Nketiah equaliser to salvage a 1-1 draw against relegation-threatened Fulham. And they actually did lose 1-0 at home to Everton care of a wild Bernd Leno own goal.
Arsenal were without their two main strikers — Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette — against Everton, and they will once again be out against Villarreal. The two have combined for 31 goals this season and will be sorely missed.
Nketiah will now be tasked to lead the Gunners up front in Spain. The 21-year-old has a strong record in the Europa League this season with three goals in six starts, although two of those goals were against Irish minnows Dundalk.
Meanwhile, the Gunners will also be without Kieran Tierney, who has been a main creative force down the left-hand side this season. Midfielder Granit Xhaka has been filling in at left-back over the last few games, but Cedric Soares could be brought in to contain the speedy Chukwueze.
Arsenal have been inconsistent for the most part this season, but they have at least been more consistent away from home. They have gone unbeaten in their last seven away matches (four wins, three draws) and have scored three or more goals in five of those games.
Their away record in the Europa League has also been impressive, with five wins and a draw in six matches.
History
This will be Arsenal and Villarreal’s first meeting since the 2009 Champions League quarter-finals. They drew the first leg 1-1 in Villarreal before Arsenal won the second leg at the Emirates 3-0 to move on.
The two also famously met in the 2006 Champions League 2006 semi-finals. Arsenal went through in dramatic fashion as Jens Lehmann saved a late Juan Roman Riquelme penalty to help the Gunners reach the final.
Betting Tip
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Villarreal vs Arsenal | 1X2 Villarreal @ 2.50 |
| April 30, 03:00 (GMT+8) |
SBOTOP odds have Villarreal installed as slight 2.50 favourites over Arsenal, who are priced at 2.83. A draw is 3.05.
The absence of both Aubameyang and Lacazette likely had a significant effect on Arsenal’s odds. They will miss so much attacking quality and talent with those two out.
On the other side, Villarreal have one of the hottest forwards in Europe in Gerard Moreno as well as another capable striker in Paco Alcacer who can pop up with a goal.
With their significant edge in firepower, look for Emery’s Yellow Submarine to sink the shorthanded Gunners in the first leg.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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