Villarreal vs Arsenal – preview
Arsenal are gearing up for their crucial UEFA Europa League battle with Villarreal, with the Gunners set to take on the Spanish side on Thursday for the first leg of their semi-final showdown. As always with European games, this fixture kicks off at 3 p.m. ET at the Estadio de la Cerámica, with fans eagerly awaiting to see who seizes the early advantage.
The north London giants head into this fixture on the back of horrible form, going winless in their last two home fixtures in the Premier League. First came the 1-1 draw with relegation-battling Fulham, with the Gunners scoring in stoppage time to rescue a point after losing top scorer Alexandre Lacazette to injury. After that came the 1-0 defeat at home to Everton courtesy of Bern Leno's horrendous own goal.
Things were made worse by the "Kroenke Out" march, with Arsenal fans taking to the Emirates Stadium to protest against their owners after their role in the highly-controversial European Super League. The disconnect between the supporters and the team they love has hit an all-time high, with their disastrous 2020/21 Premier League campaign only adding to the flames.
Arteta's side are 10th in the table and are on course to miss out on a spot in Europe via the league, hence the importance of Thursday's match. Should Arsenal get past Villarreal and make the final, they will be only 90 minutes away from qualifying for the Champions League and ending their four-year absence from UEFA's premier competition.
Standing in their way is Unai Emery, their former head coach and the Europa League's most successful manager. The Spaniard endured a torrid time in north London, being sacked by the club in his second season in charge, but it was him who led them to the UEL final in his debut campaign. Unfortunately, they lost that match 4-1 to Chelsea, a result which sparked his downfall at the Emirates Stadium.
Since leaving the Premier League, the former PSG boss returned to his home country of Spain and took charge of Villarreal, sparking a turnaround in his managerial career. The Yellow Submarine are seventh in La Liga but are only four points off of fifth-placed Real Sociedad.
Moreno and Co. have won 11 out of their 12 UEL ties this season and boast a perfect record at home in Europe. They dispatched Dinamo Zagreb with ease in the quarter-finals, beating the Croatian side 3-1 en route to the semis, but it should be pointed out that Villarreal have lost their last two outings, going down 2-1 against both Alaves and Barcelona in the Spanish top-flight. Victory over Arsenal, Emery's former team, would be the perfect way to bounce back.
Team news
Villarreal: Vicente Iborra is out due to a knee injury, but that is Villarreal's only concern.
Arsenal: Arteta has received a huge boost as David Luiz, Martin Odegaard, Alexandre Lacazette, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Kieran Tierney are all in contention. The Scottish fullback is unlikely to start but given that Arsenal were in danger of missing five key players, this is a huge positive. It will be interesting to see whether Martinelli or highly-rated youngster Balogun, who recently committed his future to the club, will start as the no.9 should Lacazette and Aubameyang lack full match fitness.
Key stats
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This will be the fifth encounter between these two clubs.
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All of their previous four run-ins took place in the UEFA Champions League, with Villarreal failing to win a single fixture (D2, L2).
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However, the Gunners have never beaten the Yellow Submarine away from home, drawing in both of their trips to the Estadio de la Cerámica.
Broadcast listings
Match details, result and original broadcast info
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
