Hot tip: On April 30, 2021, Villarreal will welcome UEFA Cup semifinalist Arsenal to the Ceramic Stadium. Despite Villarreal's 1-2 defeat against Barcelona in the last round, their opponent Arsenal's performance in the late April games was also unstable, and with some of their key players unavailable for this match, Arsenal's chances of winning don't seem to be high.
Looking back at Villarreal's loss against Barcelona, there is no doubt that if the team fails to properly deal with the psychological shadow of the loss, it will have a negative impact on its matchup with Arsenal. Although Villarreal beat Dinamo Zagreb in the quarterfinals, the pressure against Arsenal is far greater. Central midfielder Iborra is out with an injury, but at least he's not the only Villarreal player to miss out.
Meanwhile, Arsenal's recent performance has been equally up and down. With key players such as Aubameyang, Lacazette, Tierney and Luiz set to miss the game after Arsenal's 0-1 defeat to Everton last weekend, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta may be wary of the first leg against Villarreal.
Retired player Pires believes that Villarreal manager Emery's rich experience of coaching in the Europa League will give his team an advantage. Emery won the league title for three consecutive years with Sevilla and led Arsenal to the final in the 2018-19 season, experiences that certainly add to Villarreal's credentials.
In terms of overall strength, Arsenal are slightly better in terms of goals and big scores. However, considering Arsenal's recent inconsistent performance and absence of their main players, it is more likely that they will succeed in handing over this match.
Here's a breakdown of the stats associated with both teams:
Villarreal is at the top of Group i with 16 points from 6 matches in the UEFA Cup this year, with 5 wins and 1 draw, scoring 17 goals and conceding 5.
Arsenal won all 6 of their UEFA Cup matches this year, scoring 20 goals and conceding 5, and are at the top of group b with 18 points.
Since October 2020, Arsenal have won 9, drawn 2 and lost 1 of their 12 UEFA Cup matches.
Since October 2020, Villarreal have won 10, drawn 1 and lost 1 of their 12 UEFA Cup matches.
Comparing the two teams' stats, the power gap is not obvious. It is worth noting that Arsenal scored more goals than Villarreal in the UEFA Cup this year and conceded fewer than their opponents.
The two teams have met four times in the past, with two draws and two losses, with Arsenal holding the advantage.
In their last ten games, Villarreal have won 7 and lost 3; Arsenal have won 4, drawn 3 and lost 3.
