This Thursday, we’ll see the first leg of the Europa League semifinal duel between Arsenal and Valencia. The match takes place at the Emirates Stadium, where the Gunners have been sensational this season. But, can Valencia put an end to that? Read our Arsenal vs Valencia prediction and betting tips to find out!
Arsenal
It’s true that the Gunners have lost a couple of games in April in the Premier League, but they did excellent in the Europa League. They knocked out Napoli, a team that was one of the biggest favorites for winning the trophy. Now, their chance of advancing to the final seems pretty decent, as they definitely have a stronger squad than Valencia.
The problem with Arsenal is that their away form has been dreadful this season. And that’s why they’re putting a lot of hope in the first part of the doubleheader, which is going to take place on their ground. This season at the Emirates Stadium, they’ve won 14 matches in the Premier League, while playing draw on two occasions and losing twice.
It’s a similar case when their Europa League form is concerned. This team has won all but one home game in this competition. Obviously, this makes Arsenal the favorite in London, but just winning this game might not be enough. Knowing that they’re not very good on the road, they’ll probably want to get the job done in England. And that means that they’ll try to win big on Thursday.
They definitely have the manpower for that, but this season, they’ve struggled a lot with injuries. This is why we also need to talk about absentees in our Arsenal vs Valencia prediction. You’ll see the list of absent players below, but we can tell you one thing right now – it’s not as bad as it was at certain points this season. And that’s another thing going in their favor ahead of the big game.
Valencia
This team is probably going to finish La Liga season on one of the places that lead to Europe. Their goal is a Champions League place, but for that, they’ll have to work really hard till the end of the season. That won’t be easy because their minds are probably already focused on the Europa League and their doubleheader with Arsenal.
Sure, they might not be as strong as Arsenal, but Valencia do have a couple of aces up their sleeve. The thing about this team is that they’re really good when it comes to attacking. They haven’t scored too many goals in La Liga, but they did score against some heavyweight sides, including Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Sevilla, and even Barcelona.
They also did okay in the Champions League, from where they moved to the Europa League after finishing 3rd in their group. In that competition, they managed to beat Man United. But, they did it at home. Their away form hasn’t been that impressive this season. And that’s one of the main reasons why our Arsenal vs Valencia betting tips will go in favor of the hosts.
Team News
Arsenal absentees:
- Hector Bellerin (injury)
- Danny Welbeck (injury)
- Denis Suarez (injury)
- Rob Holding (injury)
- Aaron Ramsey (doubtful)
Valencia absentees:
- Cristiano Piccini (injury)
- Geoffrey Kondogbia (injury)
- Denis Cheryshev (injury)
Possible Lineups
Arsenal
Cech – Koscielny, Sokratis, Mustafi, Lichtsteiner, Kolasinac – Xhaka, Torreira, Mkhitaryan – Lacazette, Aubameyang
Valencia
Neto – Garay, Diakhaby, Wass, Gaya – Coquelin, Parejo, Soler, Guedes – Mina, Gameiro
Arsenal vs Valencia Prediction
Arsenal will win this, I’m pretty sure of that, but what will happen in the second leg, I can’t tell for certain yet. But, I think they’ll get a victory in front of their own crowd.
Arsenal vs Valencia Betting Tips
- Arsenal @1.91 (William Hill)