Arsenal will meet a familiar face when they continue their Europa League campaign on Thursday as former Gunners boss Unai Emery looks to deliver Villarreal their first European final in club history.
It’s going to be an interesting tactical battle and likely a slow burner at first with not many goals. Bookmaker 10Bet has the odds at 2.20 for Villarreal to score in the first half and at 2.25 for an Arsenal first-half goal.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: April 28th, 5:00 P.M. (EST)
The Yellow Submarine will play in a third Europa League semi-final and the club also famously featured in the 2006 Champions League semi-finals, losing to Arsenal 1-0 on aggregate. Villarreal played in a UEFA Cup semi-final as well in 2004.
Emery is the most successful manager in Europa League history with three wins, so maybe the Spanish side can finally make a breakthrough from the last-four stage with his know-how.
The 49-year-old Spaniard isn’t remembered fondly in North London, but his debut campaign in charge included a 22-game unbeaten run across all competitions and things haven’t improved one bit at Arsenal since he left in November 2019.
Emery’s Villarreal has also run into some turbulent times lately with three defeats in five games, but overall he’s had a fine first year in charge of the club losing only nine of 50 matches across all competitions.
The team relies heavily on Gerard Moreno who has factored in half of the team’s 50 league goals by netting 20 goals and recording five assists. He’s been held off the scoresheet in back-to-back losses against Barcelona and Alaves, but the 29-year-old was completely crushing it before the recent dry spell notching 10 goals in eight games.
Arsenal needs big improvements at the back to keep Moreno and Villarreal quiet here. Mikel Arteta’s team has posted only two clean sheets in 18 games across all competitions since the start of February and the players seem very prone to individual mistakes that have been happening regularly.
The goals have been flowing for Arteta’s side in recent road outings with the team posting four consecutive games with at least three goals, but both Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette are out for the trip to the Estadio de la Ceramica.
Arsenal’s previous visits to Spain haven’t gone too well with the team losing 10 of 16 games. Meanwhile, Villarreal’s only home loss against English sides came against Manchester City in 2011. They have recorded three wins and four draws in eight games.
