Chelsea vs Arsenal: Match preview, Dream11 and more
Premier League rivals Chelsea and Arsenal are set to battle it out in the UEFA Europa League final tonight at the Olympic Stadium in Baku. Both the clubs will be raring to have a crack at the title. Notably, the two clubs haven't won a silverware this season, till now. It is expected to be a game of fine margins. Here's the match preview.
Team news and selection
Chelsea will decide at the last moment if to include N'Golo Kante in the squad. The Frenchman had suffered a knee injury last week. The likes of Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Callum Hudson-Odoi have already been ruled out. Arsenal are set to be without the services of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who decided to skip the final due to security concerns.
Viewpoint: What did the managers say?
"There are two targets here but the most important target for us is to win a title. The second target is to help us to achieve the Champions League," said Arsenal boss Unai Emery. "We are in trouble with the mid-field. At the moment we have only three midfielders for three positions. For us N'Golo is very, very important," said Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri.
Cech and Hazard's last appearances for respective clubs
Eden Hazard is likely to play his last match for Chelsea. The Belgian is reportedly joining Real Madrid next. It's a big match for him. Veteran goal-keeper Petr Cech is set to retire after this match. He will hope to start for the Gunners.
Stat attack: Chelsea vs Arsenal
This is the 198th meeting across all competitions between the two London clubs. The finale is both Arsenal and Chelsea's sixth in European competitions. Arsenal haven't fared well in finals. They have lost four of their five major European finals. Chelsea have won four of their five major European competition finals. Frenchman Olivier Giroud has scored 10 Europa League goals this season for Chelsea.
Dream11: We go in with a 4-3-3 formation
Kepa Arrizabalaga leads the line in goal. He will be protected by a four-man defense. Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Marcos Alonso are the full-backs. Laurent Koscielny and David Luiz form the central partnership. There is a strong three-man mid-field on offer. Lucas Torreira, Granit Xhaka and Jorginho offer the solidity. Hazard (captain) forms the front three with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (vice-captain) and Olivier Giroud.
When and where to the match?
The match is set to start at 12:30 AM IST. It will be telecast live on the Sony Ten Network and can be streamed live on the Sony Liv app as well.
