Duel between lines will be presented when Chelsea meet Arsenal in the Europa League final at Baku Olympic Stadium, Azerbaijan, Wednesday (29/5).
Chelsea welcomed this match without some of the best players. Callum Hudson-Odoi, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Antonio Ruediger are definitely sidelined with injury while N’Golo Kante is still in doubt. The French midfielder suffered a knee injury while attending a team training session on Monday (5/27). Kante had already practiced separately in Baku.
Arsenal also have the same problem with Chelsea. In this London derby, the Gunners minus Aaron Ramsey, Hector Bellerin and Rob are injured.
Meanwhile, the attacking midfielder from Armenia, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, was unable to play even though he was fit. The former Borussia Dortmund player did not leave for Baku because of the heated political tension between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Nevertheless, the match will be predicted to continue to be exciting. Following are three fierce duels that will occur at the Baku Olympic Stadium.
David Luiz vs. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Luiz’s skill in maintaining the heart of the Chelsea defense will be tested by Aubameyang’s sharpness. The clash of these two players will often occur throughout the game.
Luiz is a player who relied on Maurizio Sarri at the heart of the West London team’s defense. He returned to the main squad despite being forgotten when Chelsea were drafted by Antonio Conte.
In the Europa League this season, Luiz recorded an average of one tackle and 0.6 interceptions per match. The 30-year-old player has the advantage of a long bait that could be an alternative weapon for Chelsea.
Aubameyang is Arsenal’s main weapon about scoring matters. The Gabon striker has scored eight goals and provided two assists.
Aubameyang’s cooperation with the same tandem, Alexandre Lacazette who scored five goals will terrorize the Chelsea defense. If Luiz et al are off guard, Aubameyang is ready to punish with a goal against Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Mesut Oezil vs Jorginho
Oezil and Jorginho are actually in the category of star players in their respective teams. However, both problems are the same this season, namely consistency.
The inconsistency that made Oezil quite often was ignored by Unai Emery’s manager. While Jorginho’s performance trend declined, he was fortunate enough to remain in the core because of the label of Sarri’s favorite player.
The situation experienced by Oezil and Jorginho made this final match like a place of proof for both. Oezil, who has only collected one goal and one assist, certainly wants to prove that he still has an important role in the Arsenal squad.
While Jorginho will be forced to work harder to win the fight in midfield as Kante will be absent because he has not fully recovered from injury. The Italian national team will serve as a regulator of the rhythm of the Blues.
Eden Hazard vs Ainsley Maitland-Niles
Hazard will be the biggest threat to the Arsenal defense in the game later. Therefore, the role of Ainsley Maitland-Niles in the Gunners defense sector will be key.
In terms of experience, Hazard is superior to Maitland-Niles, who is only 21 years old. But in terms of work ethic in defense, the player born in Goodmayes deserves a thumbs up.
Maitland-Niles is not only strong in defense but also fast in helping attacks. Most important for Niles is discipline in maintaining the area so as not to miss the movement of Hazard.
Hazard must be very passionate about appearing in the final. Besides wanting to give a title for Chelsea, Hazard has also not scored in the Europa League this season.
