UEFA Europa League

If either Arsenal or Napoli are to win a trophy this season, it will have to be the UEFA Europa League.

Napoli are second in Serie A, but they are 17 points behind leaders Juventus, while their Coppa Italia campaign came to an end back in January, just days after Arsenal were knocked out of the FA Cup.

The Gunners have barely been involved in this season's Premier League title race and are in a fierce battle for the top four.

For them, a Europa League triumph would not only return a major piece of silverware but also offer them an alternative route to the UEFA Champions League if they fail to finish in the Premier League's top four.

Arsenal are in the driving seat to advance to the semi-finals after a 2-0 win at the Emirates Stadium in their quarter-final first leg against Napoli last week. But the Partenopei have more than enough quality to turn things around on Thursday on their home turf. 

                    

Date: Thursday, April 18

Time: 8 p.m. BST/3 p.m. ET

TV: BT Sport 2 (UK), Univision Deportes (USA)

Live Stream: BT Sport App (UK), B/R Live (USA)

Match Odds: Napoli 8-11, Arsenal 75-19, Draw 16-5

Odds courtesy of Oddschecker

                

In all competitions, Arsenal have won just three of their last 13 on the road, and lost seven. 

That is in stark contrast to their impeccable home record, which has seen them win eight in a row at the Emirates.

Their most recent home win was last week's 2-0 triumph over Napoli in the first leg (U.S. only):

https://twitter.com/brlive/status/1116460917754085376

As a result of that victory, Arsenal are deserved favourites to advance to the last four of the Europa League, but their away form means it is far from guaranteed.

Napoli will be eager to prey on the fact the Gunners are much less confident away from home.

If the hosts can get an early goal on Thursday, they will be in a superb position to turn tie around. 

Arsenal themselves will also likely look to get on the scoreboard as early as possible as an away goal from them would leave Napoli needing to score four times.

The good news for Arsenal is that Lucas Torreira looks set to be available despite being substituted at half-time in Monday's win at Watford:

Emery explains he took Torreira off at half-time because "the atmosphere was against him" after Deeney's red card and that he felt a "small pain" but expects him to be OK to face Napoli on Thursday.

— James Olley (@JamesOlley) April 15, 2019

The battling Uruguayan midfielder should be an ideal player for Thursday's crucial clash as he can stifle the likes of Dries Mertens, Arkadiusz Milik and Lorenzo Insigne in Napoli's attack. 

While Arsenal have been weak away from home this season, they have a head coach in Unai Emery who is an expert in navigating the latter stages of the Europa League.

He won the tournament three times as Sevilla manager and is well placed to steer Arsenal to the last four in 2018-19. 

Following on from a thrilling set of quarter-final first-leg matches in the UEFA Europa League, the final four in the competition will be determined on Thursday in the return fixtures.

Arsenal will be seeking to finish the job against Napoli after a 2-0 win over the Serie A side left them in a strong position at the halfway point in the tie. Chelsea are also in command of their last-eight encounter, having won 1-0 at Slavia Prague.

The standout fixture a week ago came between Benfica and Eintracht Frankfurt; after a 4-2 win for the Portuguese team, more goals are expected in the second leg in Germany.

Meanwhile, Valencia will be expected to advance against fellow La Liga outfit Villarreal, having won the first leg 3-1 away from home.

        

Europa League, Quarter-Final Second Legs

Chelsea (1) vs. Slavia Prague (0)**

Eintracht Frankfurt (2) vs. Benfica (4)

Napoli (0) vs. Arsenal (2)*

Valencia (3) vs. Villarreal (1)***

         

All matches can be streamed via the BT Sport website (UK) and B/R Live (U.S.)

* Live on BT Sport 2, ** Live on BT Sport 3, *** Live on BT Sport ESPN

       

Odds

Chelsea (31-100), draw (41-10), Slavia Prague (37-4)

Eintracht Frankfurt (4-5), draw (29-10), Benfica (31-10)

Napoli (71-100), draw (63-20), Arsenal (17-5)

Valencia (77-100), draw (11-4), Villarreal (7-2)

Odds courtesy of Caesars.

         

Napoli vs. Arsenal

In the first leg of this high-profile tie, Arsenal were the dominant force and established a healthy two-goal lead against Napoli (U.S. only):

https://twitter.com/brlive/status/1116460917754085376

The manner in which the Gunners dominated the game came as a surprise, especially against an opponent that has so much attacking quality and a wily manager in the form of Carlo Ancelotti.

Arsenal boss Unai Emery, who has won the Europa League three times, got his tactics perfect on the night, with Aaron Ramsey especially impressive.

Per OptaPaolo, the Juventus-bound midfielder loves playing against Italian sides:

3 - Aaron #Ramsey has been directly involved in a goal (2 goals and 1 assist) in each of the 3 Europa League games vs italian teams (Napoli and AC Milan). Acclimatization. #ArsenalNapoli

— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) April 11, 2019

The manner in which Arsenal defended their lead will have also encouraged Emery, although the team will be in for a tougher evening in Naples.

Napoli may be two goals down, but the San Paolo Stadium will still be a hostile environment come kick-off on Thursday. While they didn't fire in the first leg, the likes of Dries Mertens, Lorenzo Insigne and Jose Callejon will surely offer a more potent threat too.

After the first leg, Ancelotti said he expects a different game when the Gunners come to Italy:

Napoli boss Ancelotti says: "Arsenal were agressive...the San Paolo will be different. With 2-0 we will have some opportunity but not a lot. 3-1 [tonight] would be better for us. We have to be focused to create problems for Arsenal in the second leg." pic.twitter.com/3ZLKL2BgwE

— Layth (@laythy29) April 11, 2019

Napoli are likely to be on top and the team will surely be set up to score an early goal, which would ignite the crowd and trigger nerves in the Arsenal side.

Nevertheless, Emery is a canny coach, and while his team may suffer defeat on the night, Arsenal have enough quality to net a vital away goal.

Prediction: Napoli 2-1 Arsenal

         

Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Benfica

At the Estadio da Luz in the first leg of this contest, Benfica's Joao Felix cemented his reputation as one of the best young players in the game with a special performance (U.S. only):

https://twitter.com/brlive/status/1116453369541828608

While the 19-year-old has been spoken about a lot in a breakthrough campaign, the trio of goals represented a high point of a term that may yet get better.

Having inspired Benfica to a 4-2 win, Felix and his team are in a strong position to make it into the semi-finals of the competition.

Following on from the hat-trick against Frankfurt, the Portugal under-21 international continued his goalscoring run on Sunday, netting in the 4-2 triumph over Setubal:

After scoring again at the weekend, @joaofelix70 celebrated his goal with his brother Hugo, who was a ballboy at the game 🤗 pic.twitter.com/MDkNd21Pal

— B/R Football (@brfootball) April 15, 2019

The teenager also set up two goals, stringing together a couple of incredible games:

João Félix's last 170 minutes of football:

⚽️ Scores a goal
⚽️ Scores a goal
🅰️ Assists a goal
⚽️ Scores a goal

🅰️ Assists a goal
🅰️ Assists a goal
⚽️ Scores a goal

Four goals; three assists; two games. pic.twitter.com/ZfTyKVuFeT

— SCOUTED (@scoutedftbl) April 14, 2019

Despite having a deficit to make up, Frankfurt will believe they still have a chance of progressing.

In the first leg, they had Evan N'Dicka sent off after 20 minutes but still found the net through Luka Jovic and Goncalo Paciencia.

While Frankfurt are sure to pay special attention to Felix, Benfica will be wary of 21-year-old Jovic, who is on loan at the Bundesliga side from the Lisbon giants.

Ahead of the previous match, WhoScored.com looked at how the two rising stars compared:

HEAD-TO-HEAD: Joao Felix vs Luka Jovic

Which exciting young forward are you looking forward to seeing in action when Benfica take on Eintracht Frankfurt?

Full match preview -- https://t.co/LxCwJjcUeN pic.twitter.com/3ErzTLnSvk

— WhoScored (@WhoScored) April 11, 2019

More goals are surely on the cards here, and with the home supporters behind them, Frankfurt have it in them to recover from a tough first leg.

Prediction: Eintracht Frankfurt 3-1 Benfica

Unai Emery reflected positively on Arsenal's 2-0 UEFA Europa League quarter-final win against Napoli on Thursday, but he reminded his team their work isn't finished ahead of the second leg. 

Arsenal took the lead in the tie at the Emirates Stadium thanks to Aaron Ramsey and an own goal from Kalidou Koulibaly.

Per MailOnline's Max Winters, Emery said:

"It's a good result but we have a big respect for them away because the first 90 minutes here we can impose the result, our game plan.

"We suffered sometimes in the second half, and they can control with the ball and the possession—they had one, two chances in the second half.

"But we worked well also in transition, and we had chances to finish the match with the third goal.

"Another 90 minutes and we aware there is going to be a different match. We need to be focused, clear, not more confident than we need, to respect them. We are going to do that."

Ramsey broke the deadlock in the 14th minute when he applied the finishing touch to a fine team move.

The Gunners were 2-0 up 11 minutes later when Lucas Torreira's shot took a wicked deflection that left Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret helpless (U.S. and UK only, respectively):

https://twitter.com/brlive/status/1116460917754085376

A beautiful Arsenal goal 😍

Aaron Ramsey finishes off a brilliant move to put the Gunners ahead!

Awesome football 🙌 pic.twitter.com/yC9NErkEQ0

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 11, 2019

Meret denied further efforts from Ramsey, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ainsley Maitland-Niles as Arsenal pushed for a third.

At the other end, Lorenzo Insigne blasted over from 12 yards and Piotr Zielinski failed to convert Insigne's cross from close range.

Gunnerblog's James McNicholas and Goal's Charles Watts were impressed with Arsenal's performance:

https://twitter.com/gunnerblog/status/1116444421376086016

Some thoughts from the Emirates after an absorbing European encounter. So far, so good for Arsenal - but work still to be done. pic.twitter.com/Re6YdHTcwg

— Charles Watts (@charles_watts) April 11, 2019

It's a strong result for the Gunners to take with them to Naples next week, but Emery is right not to get carried away given their struggles on the road this season.

The Gunners have not kept a single clean sheet away from home in the Premier League, something even the relegated Fulham and Huddersfield Town have managed.

In the last two away trips in the Europa League, they lost 1-0 and 3-1 to BATE Borisov and Rennes, respectively.

In 2019, Arsenal have picked up just two wins in 12 away games in all competitions.

They've given themselves a good chance of progressing with their win, but they're far from through to the semi-finals yet.

Maurizio Sarri revealed after Chelsea's 1-0 UEFA Europa League victory at Slavia Prague on Thursday that he did not originally plan to introduce Eden Hazard from the bench. 

Chelsea laboured for much of their quarter-final first leg at the Sinobo Stadium. But they were much improved after Hazard was brought on just before the hour mark, and Marcos Alonso scored a crucial away goal four minutes from time (U.S. and UK only, respectively):

https://twitter.com/brlive/status/1116441932736147463

Chelsea make the breakthrough late on! 🔵

A sublime cross by Willian and a thumping header from Marcos Alonso!

Big. Away. Goal. 👊 pic.twitter.com/lApLKVYaw2

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 11, 2019

Asked whether he had it in mind to use Hazard from the bench ahead of the match, Sarri said, per Nick Purewal of Press Association Sport (h/t MailOnline):

"No, at the beginning of the match I wanted him on the bench because I thought that, probably, the match was really very difficult. Probably I'd need to use him. Of course, if at the end of the first half we were 1-0, I wouldn't have used him."

Hazard has been Chelsea's most effective player this season, netting 16 goals and providing 12 assists in 32 Premier League games:

Eden Hazard has been directly involved in 28 goals this season, the most for any player in the Premier League 🔥 pic.twitter.com/GC1b8M16Cn

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) April 8, 2019

The Belgian will be vital for the Blues when they visit Anfield on Sunday to take on league leaders Liverpool.

A victory on Merseyside would be huge for Chelsea, as it would be a big step to securing a top-four spot and qualifying for next season's UEFA Champions League:

HUGE matches incoming...#PL pic.twitter.com/Fc53Gs3A8S

— Premier League (@premierleague) April 12, 2019

The Europa League also provides Chelsea with a potential route back to Europe's elite club competition, as they will get a place in the 2018-19 Champions League if they win it.

Despite their below-par performance, Alonso's late goal means Chelsea are even heavier favourites to advance to the last four of the Europa League.

An away goal is such a crucial commodity in European ties, and Sarri's side will be widely expected to win the return leg at Stamford Bridge on Thursday.

Given the results in Thursday's other Europa League ties, Chelsea's most likely semi-final opponents are Benfica after they beat Eintracht Frankfurt 4-2 at the Estadio da Luz.

On the other side of the draw, Arsenal won 2-0 at home to Napoli and Valencia beat Villarreal 3-1 at El Madrigal. 

Arsenal secured an impressive 2-0 win over Napoli in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League quarter-final at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday.

A strike from Aaron Ramsey and a Kalidou Koulibaly own goal have put Unai Emery's side in charge of the tie ahead of the second leg in Napoli on Thursday.

Chelsea were also victorious in their match against Slavia Prague. Maurizio Sarri's side were not at their best but won 1-0 in the Czech Republic thanks to a late Marcos Alonso header.

Benfica will also be confident of a place in the semi-finals after a 4-2 win over Eintracht Frankfurt, while two late goals saw Valencia beat La Liga rivals Villarreal 3-1.

    

Thursday's Results

Arsenal 2-0 Napoli

Slavia Prague 0-1 Chelsea

Benfica 4-2 Eintracht Frankfurt

Villarreal 1-3 Valencia

     

Europa League Odds

Chelsea: 7-4

Arsenal: 9-2

Valencia: 15-2

Benfica: 11-1

Odds provided courtesy of Oddschecker

      

Thursday Recap

Arsenal started well against Napoli and opened the scoring in some style after just 15 minutes through Ramsey.

The Wales international finished a flowing team move involving Mesut Ozil, Alexandre Lacazette and Ainsley Maitland-Niles to put the hosts ahead:

8 - Since the start of last season, Aaron Ramsey has been directly involved in eight goals in the Europa League (6 goals, 2 assists), more than any other Arsenal player. Swansong. #ARSNAP #UEL pic.twitter.com/EuiZkpnUQi

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 11, 2019

The Gunners then doubled their lead 10 minutes later. Lucas Torreira let fly with a shot from range that took a deflection off Koulibaly and flew past goalkeeper Alex Meret:

Class from Torreira! Slice of luck with the deflection, but his tenacity and skill beforehand meant he deserved it. #AFC

— Tom McDermott (@MrTomMcDermott) April 11, 2019

Napoli went in search of an away goal after the break and had chances to pull one back. Lorenzo Insigne had a goal correctly ruled out for offside, while Koulibaly headed a corner narrowly over the bar.

Piotr Zielinski was guilty of missing Napoli's best chance of the match, but Carlo Ancelotti's side showed they will provide a threat in the second leg at the Stadio San Paolo.

Arsenal have suffered on their travels this season, but this is an impressive result for the Gunners and will give them confidence they can make it through to the semi-finals.

Chelsea found it tough going against Slavia Prague. Maurizio Sarri started with Eden Hazard, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Gonzalo Higuain on the bench, and his team struggled to create any clear-cut chances.

Willian went close with an effort that smashed against the crossbar, but the hosts looked lively and forced goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga into some good saves after the break.

Chelsea did manage to conjure up some quality late on to claim the winner. Willian curled in a fine ball for Marcos Alonso to head home with just four minutes of normal time remaining:

FT: Slavia 0-1 Chelsea

Bravo Slavia, outstanding from them. Chelsea were poor but all they needed was a moment of class. Willian cross, Alonso header. Kepa's big saves influential. Chelsea are still the #UEL big boys, but Liverpool will bully them if they repeat #CFC #SLACHE

— Nizaar Kinsella (@NizaarKinsella) April 11, 2019

The away goal and clean sheet put Chelsea in a strong position to progress to the last four, although Sarri's men will have to improve if they are to lift the trophy at the end of the season.

Meanwhile, the tie of the round was arguably the six-goal thriller between Benfica and Eintracht Frankfurt. 

Highly-rated Benfica forward Joao Felix scored a hat-trick and grabbed an assist for the hosts:

João Félix for Benfica vs. Eintracht Frankfurt:

• Most shots (4)
• Most chances created (3)
• Most shots on target (3)
• Most goals (3)

The youngest player to score a #UEL hat-trick in Europa League history. 🤩 pic.twitter.com/uNabZBQRUI

— Squawka (@Squawka) April 11, 2019

The 19-year-old opened the scoring from the penalty spot before Luka Jovic, who is on loan at Frankfurt from Benfica, quickly levelled.

Felix fired Benfica back in front with a low strike from outside the penalty area and then set up Ruben Dias to make it 3-1.

The teenager then completed his hat-trick and looked to be in tears as he celebrated his goal (U.S. only):

https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1116437625852833809

Goncalo Paciencia pulled one back for Frankfurt to give the Bundesliga side some hope ahead of the return leg in Germany, but Benfica will be big favourites to progress.

Chelsea have issued a statement condemning alleged supporter abuse of Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah.

According to Metro, Chelsea fans were filmed singing an Islamophobic chant about the Egypt international which describes the player as "a bomber" before their UEFA Europa League match with Slavia Prague. 

Chelsea posted a statement on their official website about the incident on Thursday:

"Chelsea FC finds all forms of discriminatory behaviour abhorrent and where there is clear evidence of Chelsea season ticket holders or members involved in such behaviour, we will take the strongest possible action against them. Such individuals are an embarrassment to the vast majority of Chelsea supporters who won't tolerate them in their club."

Liverpool also produced a statement regarding the video which has gone viral on social media.

Per the club's website, the statement read:

"The video circulating online, showing vile discriminatory chants being aimed at one of our players, is dangerous and disturbing. Already this season, we have seen repulsive discriminatory abuse inside stadiums in England, Europe and across the world; abuse that was captured on devices and put into the public domain. We have also witnessed numerous hateful attacks on social media. This behaviour needs to be called out for what it is - unadulterated bigotry."

Liverpool added they will be working directly with Chelsea on the matter, thanking them for their stance against the abuse.

Arsenal manager Unai Emery has said he is used to his teams playing "under pressure" as they gear up for their UEFA Europa League quarter-final with Napoli. 

The Gunners face the Serie A side on Thursday at the Emirates Stadium in what is arguably the standout tie of the last eight. The matches are crucial for Arsenal in what is poised to be a gripping end to the season, as they are chasing Europa League glory and a top-four finish in the Premier League.

With two clear targets, there will be a lot of tense encounters to come for Arsenal. Speaking ahead of Thursday's match, Emery said that doesn't bother him, per Sami Mokbel of the Daily Mail:

"We are always demanding of ourselves. For me, playing under pressure is normal. We are being consistent a lot at the moment. This match is a big-level match, and the level we want to play. It's a very big test for us in this competition.

"We want to play the best teams, and Napoli now is one of the best teams, with the best players and also a very experienced coach."

Being involved in different battles during the run-in means Arsenal have two chances to qualify for next season's UEFA Champions League: succeed in the Europa League or finish in the Premier League's top four.

The Europa League has been a tournament of highs and lows for the Gunners. In the previous round they produced a brilliant performance in the second leg to overturn a 3-1 deficit against Rennes (U.S. only):

https://twitter.com/brlive/status/1106332934670184448

The Gunners don't come into the game on the back of a strong showing, though, as they were far from their best when they were beaten 1-0 by Everton in the Premier League on Sunday.

Mesut Ozil started that encounter but was brought off after struggling to make an impact. When he was on the bench, the German was captured throwing his coat in the direction of Toffees boss Marco Silva during a flashpoint in the game.

"This is happening all the season [being asked about Ozil]," Emery said when quizzed on whether the player has an issue with discipline. "When I decided he's going to play, some journalists asked me 'why?' And when I sometimes decide he's not playing, they ask me 'why is he not playing?'"

Per Squawka Football, after his display against Everton, Ozil could have few complaints if he is left out against Napoli:

Mesut Özil failed to created a chance, produce a shot, win a foul or complete a take-on during his time on the pitch against Everton.

Not an enjoyable afternoon at Goodison Park. pic.twitter.com/9YwYW6nAiC

— Squawka (@Squawka) April 7, 2019

While Arsenal have had their issues away from home this season, on they have been strong on home soil, recently notching their 10th successive win at the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League.

The Stadio San Paolo will be a tough place to go in the second leg, as Napoli have high-class players and a raucous crowd behind them. With that in mind, it feels imperative the Gunners are in front at the halfway point of what should be a gripping tie.

Arsenal manager Unai Emery said striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could start in Thursday's UEFA Europa League quarter-final opening leg against Napoli.

The Gabon international has been benched in Arsenal's last two games, but Emery said at a press conference on Wednesday that Aubameyang may be part of his XI at the Emirates Stadium, via Hayters TV:

"Now he can start or can play after" 🙌

Gunners boss Unai Emery reveals @Aubameyang7 will face @sscnapoli tomorrow evening, despite needing antibiotics to recover from sickness bug 👊#AFC #ARSNAP ⚽️

👇👇https://t.co/6893c9qZRe pic.twitter.com/SfgKaMDQSm

— Hayters TV (@HaytersTV) April 10, 2019

Emery explained the club's record signing had been omitted from his starting lineup of late because of illness: "He had a small problem and has taken antibiotics for his illness. That's the main reason he didn't start those matches. For tomorrow he's getting better and can start or can play after."

Aubameyang came on at half-time when Arsenal trailed Everton at Goodison Park on Sunday but couldn't prevent a 1-0 defeat. He made a half-hour cameo against Newcastle United before that and assisted Alexandre Lacazette for the second goal in a 2-0 win on April 1.

The Gunners were missing injured duo Granit Xhaka and Laurent Koscielny for the defeat to Everton, which saw them lose their grip on third place in the Premier League.

Emery added midfield anchor Xhaka and centre-back Koscielny each have a chance of returning against Napoli, per Goal's Charles Watts:

Emery says a final decision will be taken on Koscielny and Xhaka tomorrow. Aubameyang has been taking antibiotics for the past couple to weeks due to illness, but is now fully fit. pic.twitter.com/rK9YgoHvet

— Charles Watts (@charles_watts) April 10, 2019

It's important that Arsenal take an advantage with them to the Stadio San Paolo on April 18, considering their away form has been so unreliable of late.

They've won only two of their last 12 games outside of the Emirates in a run that includes Europa League losses at BATE Borisov and Rennes in the rounds of 32 and 16, respectively.

It's also worth noting the aforementioned two away wins came against FA Cup opponents Blackpool and Huddersfield Town, the first team to be relegated from the Premier League this season.

Aubameyang has scored in three of his last four starts for Arsenal, all of which came at home in wins over Manchester United, Bournemouth and Cardiff City. While that bodes well for Thursday's odds, it's not encouraging that his last goal away from home was at Brighton & Hove Albion in December.

That said, the 29-year-old brings more to the lineup than goals alone and is still among the Premier League's top contributors:

2018/19 #PL goal involvements

Hazard - 28 (16 goals, 12 assists)
Aguero - 26 (19 goals, 7 assists)
Salah - 25 (18 goals, 7 assists)
Sterling - 24 (15 goals, 9 assists)
Aubameyang - 22 (15 goals, 7 assists) pic.twitter.com/JM1bFP0eFO

— Premier League (@premierleague) April 9, 2019

Lacazette has gained more attention as arguably Arsenal's most valuable attacker this season with 15 goals and 11 assists.

Emery's comments suggest both players could make it into his XI for the visit of Napoli, who are two matches without a win and lost 2-1 at Empoli in their last away game.

Just eight teams remain in the race to be crowned UEFA Europa League winners, with the first legs of four intriguing quarter-final ties set to be played on Thursday.

The standout clash of the round sees Arsenal and Napoli lock horns, with the first leg to be played at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners will take an impressive home record into the fixture, although they are playing one of the strongest teams left in the draw in the Partenopei.

Elsewhere, Chelsea will be big favourites when they travel to Slavia Prague. At the same time, there's an all-Spanish showdown between Villarreal and Valencia, while Benfica host Eintracht Frankfurt in what's poised to be another fascinating encounter.

        

Europa League Fixtures

Thursday, April 11 (UK TV Channel)

8 p.m.—Arsenal vs. Napoli (BT Sport 2)

8 p.m.—Benfica vs. Eintracht Frankfurt

8 p.m.—Slavia Prague vs. Chelsea (BT Sport 3)

8 p.m.—Valencia vs. Villarreal (BT Sport ESPN)

Matches can be streamed via BR Live (U.S.) and the BT Sport website (UK)

      

Odds

Arsenal (6/4), Draw (53/21), Napoli (21/10)

Benfica (23/17), Draw (31/12), Frankfurt (9/4)

Slavia Prague (19/4), Draw (58/19), Chelsea (7/10)

Villarreal (7/4), Draw (40/17), Valencia (11/6)

Odds courtesy of OddsChecker.

      

Arsenal vs. Napoli

The Gunners will be glad to be back on home soil on Thursday, as they seek to bounce back from a disappointing 1-0 loss to Everton in the Premier League on Sunday.

Arsenal were well below their best at Goodison Park and were fortunate not to lose by more than the eventual one-goal margin. James Benge of Football.London thinks the display was one of the team's worst of the campaign:

This is pathetic. Possibly the worst display I've seen by a Premier League team this season. And I've seen quite a lot of Fulham.

— James Benge (@jamesbenge) April 7, 2019

If they perform to a similar level on Thursday, it's hard to see Arsenal getting anything from the clash with a high-class Napoli team.

Lately they've been on a fine run in front of their own supporters and the Serie A side are likely to be in for a challenging evening with that in mind:

📈Arsenal are in their highest league position this season & leapfrog Tottenham in the table for 1st time since 4-2 win v them in December

Also ⁦@Arsenal⁩ record 1️⃣0️⃣ consecutive home PL wins in a season at the Emirates for 1st time pic.twitter.com/kksKZgyLBE

— Sky Sports Statto (@SkySportsStatto) April 1, 2019

Carlo Ancelotti's side have been a little hit and miss lately. On Sunday, they were short of their best in a 1-1 draw with Genoa, and in the previous round of this competition they were beaten 3-1 in the second leg of their tie with Red Bull Salzburg, although they qualified 4-3 on aggregate.

The Partenopei have players capable of hurting Arsenal. With Lorenzo Insigne, Dries Mertens, Jose Callejon and Arkadiusz Milik available to Ancelotti, they will be confident of grabbing at least one away goal on the night.

Per Italian football writer David Amoyal, the latter of that quartet is having an especially strong season:

Milik has now scored 16 goals this @SerieA season without any penalties, he’s proven to be an ideal #9 for Ancelotti

— David Amoyal (@DavidAmoyal) March 31, 2019

That amount of firepower will be tough for the Arsenal defence to contain and will see Napoli take parity into the return leg of this quarter-final.

Prediction: Arsenal 1-1 Napoli

       

Slavia Prague vs. Chelsea

For the Slavia defenders, the plan will be clear when Chelsea come to town on Thursday—stop Eden Hazard.

The Belgium international continued his fine season with an inspired display against West Ham United on Monday. Hazard netted twice, including a stunning solo goal to open the scoring, in the 2-0 win and was far too hot for the Hammers defence to handle throughout the match.

This season, he's been the most productive player in the Premier League:

Eden Hazard has been directly involved in more #PL goals than any other player this season (16 goals, 12 assists) #CHEWHU pic.twitter.com/E0cboCORAd

— Premier League (@premierleague) April 8, 2019

Speaking after the match, Maurizio Sarri was asked about speculation linking Hazard with a move to Real Madrid and admitted it will be a challenge to keep him at Stamford Bridge:

"£100m? Too cheap. But if he wants another experience it is very difficult to keep him " 😵

Maurizio Sarri is honest over the future of Eden Hazard

Report: https://t.co/NkwpZDfFOX pic.twitter.com/FIzwOIpUTT

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) April 8, 2019

Although Sarri has rotated his side in the main for Europa League matches, with Hazard's time at Chelsea seemingly close to coming to an end, he will surely get the nod to start this fixture.

Slavia are underdogs for this clash, but the dramatic manner in which they qualified for the knockout stages at the expense of Sevilla will give them hope:

https://twitter.com/brlive/status/1106322148971503616

Even so, Chelsea appear to be clicking into gear at an ideal point in the season, and with Hazard inspired, the Blues should do enough to put this tie to bed early.

Prediction: Slavia Prague 0-2 Chelsea

Arsenal host Napoli at the Emirates Stadium in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League quarter-final on Thursday.

The Gunners overcame Rennes by a 4-3 aggregate scoreline in the round of 16, while Napoli did the same in their tie with Red Bull Salzburg.

The winner of this tie will progress to a semi-final against either Villarreal or Valencia.

                      

Date: Thursday, April 11

Time: 8 p.m. BST/3 p.m. ET

TV: BT Sport 2 (UK), Univision Deportes (USA)

Live Stream: BT Sport App (UK), B/R Live (USA)

Odds: Arsenal (6-4), Draw (53-21), Napoli (21-10)

Odds courtesy of Oddschecker

                            

Arsenal have made life difficult for themselves in the knockout phase, losing the first legs of their ties with BATE Borisov 1-0 and Rennes 3-1, respectively, before progressing thanks to 3-0 wins in the second legs.

Napoli also had a scare in the round of 16 when they lost the second leg 3-1 to Salzburg, having won the first 3-0.

With the first leg taking place at home, it's imperative Arsenal get the tie off to a good start, because they've frequently struggled on the road this season.

The Gunners lost 1-0 at Everton on Sunday, and Goal's Charles Watts pulled no punches in his assessment of their performance midway through:

Only remotely positive thing you can say about that is at least Arsenal are only one down.

1-0 Everton at the break.

— Charles Watts (@charles_watts) April 7, 2019

Gunnerblog's James McNicholas noted their struggles away from home, which Opta's Orbinho put them into context:

https://twitter.com/gunnerblog/status/1114905325465952256

Arsenal have won only two of the last 12 away games in all competitions. Against League One Blackpool and rock bottom Huddersfield.

— Orbinho (@Orbinho) April 7, 2019

By contrast, Arsenal have won 14-of-17 matches at the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League this season, and picked up four wins and a draw from their five Europa League matches at home.

Napoli are a cut above the other sides they've faced in the latter competition, though.

While they've not been quite the same force this season under Carlo Ancelotti that they were under Maurizio Sarri, they're still second in Serie A.

Dries Mertens has three goals and two assists in his last four appearances for the Partenopei, and he hit a milestone when he grabbed his 14th goal of the season against Genoa on Sunday:

104 - Dries #Mertens has now equalled Edinson #Cavani as the fourth Napoli's player with the most goals scored in all competitions (both 104). Milestone.#NapoliGenoa pic.twitter.com/0Ur9UsHTrz

— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) April 7, 2019

Against Arsenal's shaky defence, he'll be a significant threat.

In Napoli, the Gunners received one of the toughest draws possible for the quarter-finals, and they'll need to be at their best over the two legs to progress.