Arsenal hosts Villarreal in the second leg of the Europa League semifinals. The match will be played on Thursday, May 6th at Emirates Stadium (London)
Arsenal unsuccessfully played an away match against Villarreal (2-1). By the 29th minute, the Spaniards were ahead 2-0 due to the goals of Manu Trigueros and Raul Albiol. In the second half, the Gunners only managed to reduce the backlog through the efforts of Nicolas Pepe. The teams ended the game with shortened lineups - Etienne Capoue and Dani Ceballos went to the locker room ahead of schedule due to red cards. The defeat in Spain extended Arsenal's winless streak to three games in all competitions, but it was interrupted in the Premier League away match against Newcastle on 2 May (0-2). The Gunners scored a goal in each half through the effort of Mohammed Elneny and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. However, that victory did not really influence Arsenal's position in the standings. The Gunners are ranked 9th in the Premier League (49 points after 34 rounds), lagging four points behind the European cup zone four rounds before the finish of the tournament.
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After home success in the first semifinal leg, Villarreal played another home game on Sunday. The Yellow Submarine broke the resistance of Getafe (1-0) thanks to a goal from 18-year-old reservist Yeremi Pino in the 79th minute. Unai Emery used the rotation of the lineup. The hosts controlled the ball for 67% of the playing time, but their attacks lacked sharpness. The Yellow Submarine hit Getafe's goal only four times. The home victory allowed Villarreal to maintain 6th place in the LaLiga standings (52 points after 34 rounds). Emery's team is only one point behind the 5th Real Sociedad.
Both teams are motivated to make it to the finals. And if Villarreal can get into European cups even in case of failure in the Europa League, then for Arsenal players the fiasco will mean that they will not take part in European tournaments for the first time since the 1996/97 season. Due to a home win, a slight advantage is now on the side of Villarreal, and experienced Emery will try to squeeze the maximum. Arsenal will play only to win, so the Spaniards will get a chance to punish their opponents in counterattacks. In the first leg, Arsenal's defense showed vulnerability, and the Submarine, which has scored in 14 previous official meetings, must again upset the Gunners at least once.
Prediction for the match: Villarreal to score over 1.0 goal
