Arsenal vs Villarreal Europa League preview: where to watch, team news, predictions

Arsenal trail 2-1 as they host Villarreal in the UEFA Europa League semi-final second leg on 6 May at 21:00 CET.

What happened in the first leg

First-half goals from Manu Trigueros and Raúl Albiol put Villarreal firmly in the driving seat in Spain, and when Dani Ceballos picked up his second yellow card 12 minutes into the second half Arsenal looked ripe for the taking. The Gunners dug in, though, replying through a Nicolas Pépé penalty before Étienne Capoue's red card meant it ended ten vs ten.

Where to watch the game on TV

Fans can find their local UEFA Europa League broadcast partner(s) here.

Form guide

Arsenal
Form: WLLDWW
Latest: Newcastle 0-2 Arsenal, 02/05
Where they stand: 9th in Premier League

Villarreal
Form: WWLLWW
Latest: Villarreal 1-0 Getafe, 02/05
Where they stand: 6th in Liga

Starting line-ups

Arsenal: Leno; Holding, Pablo Marí, Tierney; Bellerín, Smith Rowe, Partey, Saka; Pépé, Aubameyang, Ødegaard

Villarreal: Rulli; Mario, Albiol, Pau Torres, Pedraza; Parejo, Coquelin, Trigueros; Moreno, Alcácer, Chuckweze

Expert predictions

Samantha Miller, Arsenal reporter: Underwhelming in the first leg, Arsenal still managed to get an away goal in a narrow defeat, and know they can play much better. Villarreal will be without Étienne Capoue, the engine of their midfield, while Arsenal have the likes of Bukayo Saka, who can create moments of magic. They have the belief to turn this tie around.

Graham Hunter, Villarreal reporter: There’s no hiding from the fact that Villarreal set themselves up for a far better first-leg result but couldn’t convert superiority into a decisive advantage. That mustn't obscure the fact that they secured their first ever victory over Arsenal. Rested at the weekend, Gerard Moreno probably holds the key to whether the Yellow Submarine can achieve another first and reach a UEFA final after four past semi-final failures.

View from the camps

Mikel Arteta, Arsenal coach: "It's true for some players it might be their last season [at the club] for different reasons. I can see how much [the UEFA Europa League] means to them and how much they want it. [Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang] played well [in Sunday’s 2-0 win at Newcastle] and he felt much better than the days before that. Scoring a goal is really important for him so he’s in a good place. I think it’s only the tenth time the club have played a European semi-final so it’s a big moment for us."

Unai Emery, Villarreal coach: "We are going into this second leg with maximum respect for Arsenal and the Europa League, and lots of enthusiasm. We are going to see Aubameyang in action, so we are going to see the best of Arsenal, individually and collectively. The first-leg result doesn’t change my view of the tie: Arsenal started as favourites and they are still favourites. We will do our best to compete."

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