Europa League: Arsenal and Chelsea tipped to progress to next round

Football
By Clinton Nyabuto | Feb 21, 2019
Arsenal (in red) and BATE players react after their first leg match [Courtesy]
The UEFA Europa League round of 32 second leg continues tonight with 15 matches scheduled to take place.   English outfit Arsenal host the Belarusian side BATE Borisov at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners will seek to redeem themselves after their first leg 1-0 loss at the Borisov Arena on Thursday.   Unai Emery's side will be without striker Alexandre Lacazette who was red carded in the first leg following an encounter with left-back Aleksandar Filipovic. Defenders Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Rob Holding and Hector Bellerin will also miss tonight's tie due to injuries.   Elsewhere Chelsea will welcome Swedish side Malmö FF to Stamford Bridge. Maurizio Sarri's side had a comfortable 0-2 away win at the Swedbank Stadion in Sweden last Thursday in the first leg and will be hoping to finish the job in London.
We can only have good performances and results [Courtesy]

The Blues' last match saw them lose at home 2-0 home to Manchester United, a result that their FA Cup run.

The London-based club will be without their star goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, defender Davide Zappacosta and winger Pedro who all missed their training due to injury. Playmaker Ruben Loftus-Cheek has also been sidelined. Maurizio Sarri's future could be determined by this match following past poor performances against Bournemouth, Manchester City and Manchester United. He emphasized on the need to win his next matches, considering his team's inconsistency when it comes to big matches.  "We need to win three, four matches in a row. It's the only solution," Sarri said.   ''I can understand very well the frustration of our fans. Because they are used to winning. Now we are in trouble, so I can understand very well. There isn't another way. We can only have good performances and results." he added.   Europe League Fixtures   Arsenal Vs BATE | Dinamo Zagreb Vs Viktoria Plzen | Frankfurt Vs Shaktar Donetsk Chelsea Vs Malmo FF | Napoli Vs Zurich | Villareal Vs Sporting | Valencia Vs Celtic Zenit St. Petersburg Vs Fernabahce | Bayer Leverkusen Vs FK Krasnodar Benfica Vs Galatasaray | Dinamo Kiev Vs Olympiakos   Predictions Game Yetu predicts that Arsenal will beat BATE and progress to the Round of 16. Chelsea head into their tie as favourites and are expected to have an easy win over Malmo FF.?

Share this story
UEFA Champions League: Real stands in way of Dortmund fairytale in tonight's final
German side faces acid test in Champions League final at Wembley.
Kenya feeling marathon hero Kiptum's loss as Olympics near
Athletics Kenya president Tuwei says everyone was looking forward to him breaking another record.
Wounded KCB chase Enterprise Cup final
The bankers have not won the title since 2017.
Kabras Sugar ready to face Nondescripts in Enterprise Cup semis
The Sugar men are hunting for a straight fourth Enterprise Cup title.
All-women teams take on Rhino Charge challenge
All is set for this year's 35th Rhino Charge competition as 54 participating cars undergo scrutineering in the final preparations for competition in the scenic landscape of Torosei in Kajiado West.
.
RECOMMENDED NEWS