The first leg of the Europa League semifinal between Valencia and Arsenal finished 3:1 in the favor of the English team. What this means is that it’s up to the Spanish side to try and get a win on Thursday evening at Mestalla. Will they manage it and if they do, will it be enough to get them to the final? Find out in Valencia vs Arsenal prediction and betting tips!
Valencia
They need to beat Arsenal 2:0 in order to advance to the final. It’s not an impossible thing to happen, at least when Valencia’s scoring power is concerned. They’ve been pretty impressive in the attack lately, culminating with the 6:2 win over Huesca in the previous round of La Liga. The only problem is that they haven’t been too great at the back. In fact, Valencia have allowed at least one goal in each of their previous 5 matches in all competitions.
What’s giving them a lot of hope ahead of this game is that they’ve been pretty impressive at home this entire season. They did lose to Eibar in the last match they played at Mestalla, but before that, they were in a sensational form at home. Actually, Valencia has lost only two matches this season, counting all competitions this team has been taking part in.
And Valencia players have managed to pull off some pretty impressive feats this season. For instance, they won against Man United at home in the Champions League, as well as against Real Madrid in La Liga. They also play a draw with Barcelona. And on top of everything, they’re now facing a team that’s famous for their poor away form. In the next part of the Valencia vs Arsenal prediction, we’ll talk about the away team.
Arsenal
They got a decent advantage ahead of the game in Spain, but Arsenal need to be worried about what’s going to happen there. They’ve been dreadful on the road this entire season. In the Premier League, for example, the Gunners have won only six out of possible 18 away matches.
It’s a similar situation in the Europa League, even though they did win against Napoli in Italy. But, before that, they lost to Rennes in France and BATE in Belarus. On top of that, they’ve lost three out of five previous away games, counting all competitions.
Another bad news for the English side is that they have some pretty big problems with fitness. A couple of their first-team players are away due to injuries, while some of their main players are struggling to get back in the right form after being absent.
Still, considering that there’s so much at stake here, you can be sure they will give their utmost on Thursday evening. Will that be enough? Scroll down to the Valencia vs Arsenal betting tips to find out!
Team News
Valencia absentees:
- Denis Cheryshev (injury)
- Geoffrey Kondogbia (injury)
- Rodrigo (doubtful)
Arsenal absentees:
- Hector Bellerin (injury)
- Rob Holding (injury)
- Aaron Ramsey (injury)
- Denis Suarez (injury)
- Danny Welbeck (injury)
Possible Lineups
Valencia
Neto – Gabriel, Diakhaby, Piccini, Gaya – Coquelin, Parejo, Wass, Guedes – Mina, Gameiro
Arsenal
Cech – Sokratis, Koscielny, Mustafi, Kolasinac – Xhaka, Guendouzi, Ozil, Maitland-Niles – Aubameyang, Lacazette
Valencia vs Arsenal Prediction
I think Valencia will win this, but I’m not sure a win will be enough to get them to the final, especially if Arsenal manage to score. That said, I also expect to see many goals here, as both sides play attacking football.
Valencia vs Arsenal Betting Tips
- BTS @1.57 (William Hill)
- Over 2.5 Goals @1.60 (1XBET)
- Valencia @1.90 (bet365)