2019/19 UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE
Thursday, February 14
th
BATE Borisov vs Arsenal
Kick-off at 19:55 (7:55pm) CAT
Chelsea vs Malmo
Kick-off at 22:00 (10pm) CAT
Arsenal and Chelsea, both from the English Premier League, will put their domestic duties aside on Thursday when they face Bate Borisov of Belarus and Malmo of Sweden, respectively, in the UEFA Europa League.
BATE BORISOV VS ARSENAL – BORISOV ARENA, BARYSAW
Belarus’s most successful club BATE have 15 league titles to their name and booked their place in the round of 32 in this seasons Europa League by virtue of a second-place finish behind Chelsea with three wins from their six matches, two of which came away from home.
Their most recognisable name on their teamsheet is former Arsenal and Barcelona midfielder Alexander Hleb who will be making an emotional first appearance against the Gunners since departing the Emirates back in 2008.
The Belarussian missed Birmingham City’s League Cup Final victory over the North-Londoners in 2010 during his brief loan spell back in England’s top-flight.
The duo were drawn together in the group stages of last season’s Europa League although Hleb missed out again as he spent the season at Krylia Sovetov Samara in the Russian Premier League before making the move back to his boyhood club for the fifth time in his career ahead of the 2018/19 campaign.
Unai Emery’s men have suffered three losses in their last six heading into this fixture. They recovered from defeat to defending Premier League champions Man City with a hard-fought 2-1 win at bottom-of-the-table Huddersfield. Pierre Emerick Aubameyang is expected to return after he missed the weekend’s victory through illness although they had Alexandre Lacazette on hand who scored what proved to be the decisive goal.
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The last meeting between Bate and Arsenal ending in a thoroughly convincing 6-0 win to the hosts at the Emirates that evening. Of the five different goal-scorers for Arense Wenger’s men in December 2017, only Mohamed Elneny remains at the club. Mathieu Debuchy, Theo Walcott, Olivier Giroud and Jack Wilshere have all since gone on to seek pastures anew.
The only other match between the pair to be played at the Borisov Arena, just three months prior, ended 4-2 to the Gunners after they raced into a 3-0 lead inside 35 minutes thanks to a Theo Walcott double.
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BATE Borisov vs Arsenal head-to-head:
Played: 2
BATE Wins: 0
Draws: 0
Arsenal Wins: 2
BATE Goals: 2
Arsenal Goals: 10
BATE Borisov vs Arsenal results:
07/12/2017 – Arsenal 6-0 BATE
28/09/2017 – BATE 2-4 Arsenal
CHELSEA VS MALMO – STAMFORD BRIDGE, LONDON
Winners of the competition in 2013, Chelsea will be looking to the Europa League once more as a source of success in what is turning out to be a rather turbulent season at Stamford Bridge. The Blues suffered their worst league defeat in over 10 years when they were humbled 6-0 by Manchester City in the English Premier League on Sunday – Maurizio Sarri’s third successive away defeat in the division.
Malmo suffered just one defeat throughout the group stages of the tournament, finishing as runners-up behind Genk in Group I, finishing ahead of the likes of Besiktas, as they booked their place in the round of 32. With the Swedish league season only set to begin at the end of March, Di Blae’s largely locally based outfit can focus solely on their upcoming European tie against the Blues.
Thursday’s match will be the first-ever competitive clash between Chelsea and Malmo.
Manager Uwe Rosler is no stranger to English football having coached the likes of Brentford, Wigan Athletic, Leeds United and Fleetwood Town between 2011 and 2018. The German is looking to guide Malmo into the Round of 16 of the Europa League for the first time in their history.
Malmo famously reached the final of the European Cup back in 1979, when they lost out by one goal to another English opponent – Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest.
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