We take a 3-1 lead to Valencia but there’s still plenty of work to be done.
Go behind the scenes as we prepare for the second leg of the Europa League semi-final.
Watch Arsenal train at Valencia Mestall stadium
Arsenal have the advantage heading into Thursday’s second leg after claiming a 3-1 victory in London. They fell behind early in the first half but struck back thanks to a brace from Alexandre Lacazette and a late effort from Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang.
Aubameyang was once again on target for the Gunners on Sunday as they were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Brighton in the English Premier League. Unai Emery’s men have impressed in the Europa League having gone unbeaten in four of their last six away matches. A win at the Mestalla is priced at 4.20.
Lacazette has been one of the standout players for Arsenal in the Europa League and has scored three goals in his last two matches in the competition. The Frenchman is expected to continue his attacking partnership with Aubameyang, who has four goals in his last six matches.
Valencia vs Arsenal Prediction
Valencia needs to overcome a deficit of two goals, but they do have the confidence of having recorded an away goal.
With the advantage of the home status, the team will definitely come on stronger against the visiting Gunners. Arsenal was winless in 12 of their last 17 matches on the road and was so in four of their last five overall ties as well.
They also lost three of their last five games and conceded three or more goals in these three fixtures.
Importantly, Valencia holds a 100% h2h winning record at home, and except for a single draw, every h2h game ended in a home win.
Valencia is a whole different beast at home, and they were unbeaten in 20 of their last 21 home ties.
They scored two or more goals in five of their last seven match-ups in front of their home crowd. In line with the trend, Valencia should record a win this Thursday.