Chelsea vs. Arsenal: Odds, Live Stream, TV Info for Europa League Final
Chelsea and Arsenal will contest the 2019 UEFA Europa League final on Wednesday as one of the Premier League giants looks to cap their season with silverware.
Victory at the Olympic Stadium in Baku, Azerbaijan, is Arsenal's only remaining route into next season's UEFA Champions League after they finished fifth in the league campaign.
Gunners manager Unai Emery and Blues head coach Maurizio Sarri will end their first seasons in charge of their respective teams with pressure on both to ensure they clinch a trophy.
Chelsea beat Benfica 2-1 six years ago to seal the title, while Arsenal's only previous appearance in a Europa League final was the 2000 penalty shootout defeat to Galatasaray (then the UEFA Cup).
Date: Wednesday, May 29
Time: 8 p.m. BST/3 p.m. ET
Venue: Olympic Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan
TV Info: TNT USA (U.S.), Univision Deportes (U.S.), BT Sport 2 (UK)
Odds
Chelsea: 7-5
Draw: 12-5
Arsenal: 11-5
The road to Baku has been a bumpy one for both teams, both of whom boast impressive recent records in Europe.
Arsenal suffered surprise defeats in their visits to BATE Borisov and Rennes but have now won five Europa League games in a row. Chelsea, meanwhile, are unbeaten in their last 17 games in the competition, winning all but two of those.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (eight) and Alexandre Lacazette (five) have combined to form a devastating partnership in attack for the north Londoners, via the club's official YouTube channel:
One man who won't feature for Arsenal on Wednesday is Henrikh Mkhitaryan, whose Armenian nationality meant security in Baku was deemed too grave a concern for him to play, per the Guardian's Andrew Roth.
There is some debate around who will—or should—start in goal for the Gunners, with veteran Petr Cech being Emery's first choice in the Europa League throughout the season.
Usual No. 1 Bernd Leno would be the wiser choice based on form, but journalist James Benge showed evidence to suggest Emery will stick by the 37-year-old against his former club in his final match before retirement:
James Benge @jamesbengeCech the first goalkeeper going through his drills. Read into that what you will. https://t.co/5K8tPuzpwk
Cech spoke to the Evening Standard's James Olley prior to the final and suggested a competitive edge is lacking at the Emirates Stadium compared to Chelsea:
James Olley @JamesOlleySpoken to Petr Cech a lot down the years but this might be his frankest interview yet. “Generally at Arsenal, there is not enough pressure... At Chelsea, the times when we drew, it felt like a funeral in the dressing room.” Exclusive: https://t.co/FZX1KANByx
The Guardian's Dominic Fifield noted that a knee injury has made Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante a fitness concern, though the club's doctors aren't giving up on the France international playing a role.
Chelsea have scored 32 times in this season's Europa League—three more than Arsenal—and Olivier Giroud is the competition's joint-top scorer with 10 goals in 2018-19:
UEFA Europa League @EuropaLeague�� Olivier Giroud = ⚽️1⃣0⃣ ��️0⃣4⃣ ��1⃣3⃣ �� Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang = ⚽️0⃣8⃣��️0⃣3⃣��1⃣1⃣ #UELfinal https://t.co/D0WHiKlY9G
Eintracht Frankfurt's Luka Jovic (10 goals) is the only other player to hit double figures, though it's not certain Giroud will have his chance to add to his haul on Wednesday, per Liam Twomey of ESPN FC:
Liam Twomey @liam_twomeyI asked Sarri if Giroud will start tomorrow. He says he has to consider him but hasn't made a decision yet #cfc
Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Antonio Rudiger were already on the treatment table, and Sarri will be tested in his efforts to keep standards high in their absence.
This could also be Eden Hazard's last game in Chelsea colours, and the Belgium international has been instrumental in some of the Blues' best European moments this term, via BT Sport (UK only):
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez recently told Onda Cero (h/t TalkSport) he has been trying for a number of years to sign Hazard.
Arsenal face another season in the Europa League should they lose on Wednesday, and that motivation could be the edge needed to see them past Chelsea, who finished third in the Premier League.
