2018/2019 UEFA Europa League Semifinals Match Analysis
April 23, 2019
Arsenal, Chelsea, Frankfurt, and Valencia have all made it to the last four of the 2019 Europa League semis.
Arsenal overcame Italian giants Napoli, Valencia eliminated fellow Spanish club Villarreal emphatically, Frankfurt made a sensational comeback against Benfica to qualify, and Chelsea put up an impressive display to cruise past Slavia Praha.
In the semifinals, Chelsea will face Frankfurt, while Arsenal will square up against Valencia.
Here’s the match by match analysis of the Europa League semifinals.
Arsenal vs. Valencia
Arsenal is playing its first season without Arsène Wenger since 1996, and it has been a fair outcome so far. They have won nine matches, drawn once and lost twice in 12 games in the Europa League this season.
Arsenal is a better team under Unai Emery. The Spaniard has a lot of experience in the Europa League and has instilled confidence into his team. Unai Emery was Valencia coach from 2008 to 2012.
They will face a very fluid side in Valencia, who can cause an upset to the Gunners.
Valencia is the only team that came into the competition from the UEFA Champions League who are still in the tournament. They are quick, playing with lots of conviction, scoring goals and full of belief.
Frankfurt vs. Chelsea
Chelsea is unbeaten in the Europa League this season and has outscored every team.
They have been solid and boast of arguably the strongest attack in the tournament. They also are certainly the most experienced. The Blues have won the trophy in each of the last two seasons. Players like César Azpilicueta, David Luiz, Gary Cahill, and Eden Hazard were from the squad that won this competition in 2013.
Frankfurt, meanwhile, has lost just once this season. They have one of the most in-form strikers in Europe in Luka Jovic. Frankfurt is a compact team, with strong character and they could definitely trouble Chelsea.
Expect the game to be a high scoring encounter as they are the two highest-scoring sides in this season’s competition – Chelsea with 30 goals and Frankfurt with 28 goals.
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This article is brought to us by our Sports Writers Club resident columnist – Collins Michael Nwokolo. Follow him on Twitter and Pinterest.
