Please, try again later
In truth, this is a tricky game to assess. It will be the first time this season that Valencia have trailed going into the second leg and given that some of their home efforts have been weak when they’ve held an advantage, it’s not terribly difficult to envisage them struggling. Furthermore, Arsenal have lost two of their three travelling matches since reaching the knockouts, though each of those defeats came in the first leg. In contrast, once they held the lead ahead of going away to Napoli in the last round, Emery’s men were solid and delivered a professional performance.
On the basis that the Gunners thrived when in a similar position in Naples, it’s easy to feel that Thursday’s visitors have been slightly underestimated by the early market. At what appears to be a generous price, ‘Arsenal Draw No Bet’ gets the nod.
Arsenal’s recent domestic form leaves plenty to be desired – as evidenced by that demoralising draw with Brighton over the weekend – the latter stages of the Europa League have seemingly brought out the best of the side. The trip to Spain will pose a sizeable challenge for Emery’s men but, with a two-goal cushion, Arsenal should have the means to see out this tie and secure their spot in the final.