MX23RW : Thursday, November 21 11:09:03| >> :120:53960:53960:
[monks data]
Attendance: 51,370
Chelsea logo
Europa League | Final
May 29, 2019 at 8pm UK
 
Arsenal logo

4-1

Giroud (49'), Pedro (60'), Hazard (65' pen., 72')
FT(HT: 0-0)
Iwobi (69')

Sokratis urges Arsenal to win Europa League final for Henrikh Mkhitaryan

Henrikh Mkhitaryan opted not to travel to Baku for personal reasons.

Arsenal have vowed to win the Europa League final in honour of absent team-mate Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

Forward Mkhitaryan chose not to travel to Baku for Wednesday's clash with Chelsea, fearing for his safety due to his native Armenia's long-standing conflicts with Azerbaijan.

Although the Azerbaijan FA insisted it would be safe for Mkhitaryan in Baku, the 30-year-old Gunners star has taken no chances.

Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Granit Xhaka have confirmed Arsenal will take extra motivation into Thursday's final to respect their missing team-mate.

"We've had five or six years together, I know him very well, we are good friends," said Sokratis, explaining a social media post in support of Mkhitaryan.

"So I just wrote what I feel. But we have also to play for him and for the players who are injured, and tomorrow if we win this game, it's also for them."

Arsenal will qualify for next term's Champions League with victory, with Xhaka adamant the Gunners belong at Europe's top table.

The Switzerland midfielder said Arsenal have been hit by Mkhitaryan's absence but pledged the club will do all it can to scoop the silverware in his honour.

"Of course we are disappointed he's not here but I think we spoke a lot about Mkhitaryan, and a lot of political things, and it's time to speak about football," said Xhaka.

Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur – Premier League – Emirates Stadium
Granit Xhaka believes it is vital for Arsenal to be in the Champions League. (Nick Potts/PA)

"He's very important for us, and we want to give him a trophy tomorrow.

"We've been twice in a row in the Europa League, and a club like Arsenal has to be in the Champions League.

"It's an amazing and important game for us, because we want to give the club and the fans the Champions League back."

Arsenal's miserable away form ultimately cost the Gunners a top-four Premier League finish and automatic Champions League qualification.

Unai Emery brought Arsenal's players out to Baku on Saturday, while Chelsea did not travel until Monday.

Despite Arsenal's away-day blues in the league, the Gunners have pulled off several fine wins on their travels in Europe this term.

Xhaka is confident Emery's men will perform when the title is on the line on Wednesday.

"It was our problem in the season, if you take more points away from home maybe you finish in the top four," said Xhaka.

"But if you play compact and work for each other you can win away.

"But tomorrow it's not about home or away, it's a final.

"Baku or anywhere else, it's not an excuse. So that's why we'll be ready for tomorrow."

ga('create', 'UA-72310761-1', 'auto', {'name': 'pacontentapi'});
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'referrer', location.origin);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension1', 'By Nick Purewal, Press Association Sport, Baku');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension2', '17e5acdf-0ddf-476d-a67a-78b8d270e4ab');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension3', 'paservice:sport,paservice:sport:club-news,paservice:sport:football,paservice:sport:uk,paservice:sport:world');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension6', 'story');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension7', 'composite');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension8', null);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension9', 'sport:football');
ga('pacontentapi.send', 'pageview', { 'location': location.href, 'page': (location.pathname + location.search + location.hash), 'title': 'Sokratis and Xhaka in \u2018Let\u2019s do it for Mkhitaryan\u2019 Europa League final plea'});

ID:360512: cacheID:360512:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:10328:No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang celebrates after equalising for Arsenal in their Europa League semi-final against Valencia on May 9, 2019
Read Next:
Europa League final: Arsenal's road to Baku
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS

League Phase

TeamPWDLPTS
1Lazio440012
2Ajax431010
3Anderlecht431010
4Frankfurt431010
5Galatasaray431010
6Spurs43019
7FCSB43019
8Lyon42117
9Rangers42117
10Olympiacos42117
11Bodo/Glimt42117
12Midtjylland42117
13Ferencvaros42026
14Man Utd41306
15Plzen41306
16AZ42026
17Besiktas42026
18Hoffenheim41215
19Roma41215
20Fenerbahce41215
21Elfsborg41124
22Braga41124
23Porto41124
24Slavia Prague41124
25Real Sociedad41124
26Malmo41033
27FC Twente40313
28Qarabag41033
29Union SG40222
30Nice40222
31RFS40222
32Ludogorets40131
33PAOK40131
34Athletic Club00000
35M. Tel Aviv40040
36Dynamo Kiev40040


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!