Arsenal vs Valencia predicted line-up: Gunners wait on Mesut Ozil availability for Europa League tie
Arsenal host Valencia in their Europa League semi-final first leg on Thursday night, as Unai Emery comes up against the club that he managed to three consecutive third-place La Liga finishes.
In the quarter-finals, Arsenal dispatched Carlo Ancelotti’s Napoli with an impressive 3-0 win over two legs, while Valencia comprehensively beat fellow La Liga side Villarreal 5-1 on aggregate.
Since their second leg victory over Napoli, however, Arsenal have suffered their worst run of form under Emery, losing their last three games 3-2, 3-1 and 3-0 to Crystal Palace, Wolves and Leicester.
Fortunately for the north London club, Valencia’s form is flagging slightly as well, with two La Liga losses in three games since their quarter-final victory against Villarreal. One of those defeats came at the hands of second-placed Atletico Madrid, however, and was a tightly contested 3-2.
Predicted line-ups
Arsenal: Cech; Maitland-Niles, Sokratis, Koscielny, Monreal, Kolasinac; Torreira, Xhaka, Ozil; Lacazette, Aubameyang
Valencia: Neto; Wass, Garay, Gabriel, Gaya; Torres, Coquelin, Parejo, Guedes; Gameiro, Mina
Mesut Ozil may recover from a foot injury in time for this first-leg fixture, but there’s no such hope for midfielder Denis Suarez, who will miss the last few games of the season with a groin problem. Danny Welbeck, Hector Bellerin and Rob Holding are longer-term absentees, while Valencia are without the injured Denis Cheryshev, Geoffrey Kondogbia and Cristiano Piccini.
What time does it start?
Arsenal vs Valencia kicks off at 8pm (GMT).
Where can I watch it?
The match will be shown live on BT Sport 2, with coverage beginning at 7:15pm.
Subscribers can also watch the game on BTSport.com and the broadcaster’s app, or in ultra-high definition on BT Sport 4K UHD.
Head-to-head…
Valencia 2-1 Arsenal, Champions League, March 2003
Arsenal 0-0 Valencia, Champions League, December 2002
Valencia 1-0 Arsenal, Champions League, April 2001
Arsenal 2-1 Valencia, Champions League, April 2001
Valencia 0-0 Arsenal (5-4 on pens), European Cup Winners’ Cup, May 1980
Form guide…
Arsenal: WWWLLL
Valencia: WWWWLL
Odds…
Arsenal to win: 19/20
Valencia to win: 16/5
Draw: 12/5
Prediction: Arsenal 2-1 Valencia
The north Londoners need to snap their streak of sub-par results at some point, and the Europa League provides the perfect platform for the Gunners to do that. Their manager, Emery, excels in the competition, which he won three years in a row between 2014 and 2016.
It won’t be straight-forward against Valencia, though. The Spanish team bring a tidy defence, swift counter-attacks and familiar faces in former Arsenal players Gabriel Paulista and Francis Coquelin, who will both have points to prove at the Emirates.
