Europa League Final Preview: Chelsea And Arsenal Look To Land Continental Title

The Blues and the Gunners head to Baku for London derby final

With all major European leagues now concluded for another season, we have two continental finals to look forward to, which will bring the curtain down on the campaign. And this coming Wednesday evening (29 May) sees Chelsea and Arsenal meet in the final of the UEFA Europa League, with both clubs looking to land some silverware with their final chance of the season in what should be a fierce London derby.

First things first

Before you go any further, head on over to the Oddsshark website, find your favourite betting site and get your own account up and running using your credit card. As a new customer and with the Europa League final just around the corner, there should be a wide range of promotions and special offers available to you.

Where should I be investing my money?

First up, let’s take a look t how these sides finished the domestic campaign. Chelsea finished the Premier League season in third place, with just Liverpool and Manchester City above them and have already qualified for next season’s edition of the UEFA Champions League, which of course is one of the prizes for the winners of the Europa League.

Arsenal, by way of comparison, finished fifth, one place outside the top four and two points behind Chelsea in third, after losing three of their last five league outings. That means this final is of huge importance to the Gunners who must win to qualify for the Champions League next term.

But while the betting is extremely close, it is Chelsea who come in as the slight favourites to win this continental crown inside 90 minutes. You can more than double your money by backing the Blues to triumph at 2.45, while Arsenal are out at 3.10 to do the same – a draw would appear to be the least likely outcome and is priced accordingly at 3.40, according to Oddsshark.

Alternatively, you can make a more straightforward bet based on who will lift the trophy at the end of the match, and again Chelsea are at lower odds. The Blues are priced at 1.72 to do so, while Arsenal are slightly higher at 2.10.

Chelsea to edge close encounter

And while we are expecting this to be a closely fought affair between two evenly matched sides (on paper, at least) we are expecting Chelsea to just about edge this one over the course of 90 minutes. A narrow, 2-1 win for Chelsea is priced at 9.50, meaning that a US$5 bet would lead to a US$47.50 pay out.

Such a result would then also allow you to back over 2.5 goals in the game, which is at fairly short odds of 1.90, as well as both teams to score, which is even lower at 1.70. Therefore, if you are looking for a way to boost any potential winnings from this crucial clash then you may wish to consider combo betting, which allows you to select multiple outcomes at higher odds.

For example, you can more than quadruple your money by backing a combo bet of a Chelsea win, coupled with both teams to score, at 4.75, while a Chelsea win and over 2.5 goals in the game would allow you to more than triple your money at 3.75. Over 2.5 goals and both teams to score allows for a more than doubling if any investment at 2.20.

We could see a slow start

As this is a huge final with a lot at stake, we are expecting to see a fairly cagey opening between the two London clubs. However, if you think otherwise you can back over 0.5 goals in the first 10 minutes at 4.33, while Chelsea are out at 9.50 to be ahead by the end of that time period – Arsenal come in only slightly higher, at 10.00, to achieve the same feat.

This is a match where Chelsea will likely be looking for the initiative. You can more than triple your money by backing them to score in each half, while given the fact we are expecting both teams to score, there is a chance the Blues will have to win this clash coming from behind, an outcome you can back at 10.00

In terms of goal scorers, Gonzalo Higuain is still looking to prove his worth to the Stamford Bridge faithful. You can more than double your money by backing the Argentine striker to get on the score sheet at 2.60, while he is at 6.00 to score either the first or the last goal of the game.

UEFA Europa League final:

Wednesday, 29 May

(2.45) Chelsea x Arsenal (3.10); draw (3.40)