As far as the English challenge in the Europa League goes, both Arsenal and Chelsea have made it through to the last 16 of the competition, and both will fancy their chances of going further. This week they both play the first of two legs against opponents with a place in the last eight at stake. Chelsea are at home and look to have a relatively straight forward task, but from a value and betting point of view, it may be worth siding with Arsenal out of the two of them, as they head to France for a game against Rennes.

The Gunners had a blip in the last round away from home, losing to BATE Borisov before putting things right in the second leg at home. Although that was a disappointing game for them at the time, in the long run I think it will actually help them, and prevent them from taking teams lightly away from home, starting with this game here.

With what happened against BATE, I think we will see Arsenal play a stronger team here, and take the game to the French side in the hope of coming home with it already under control. when you compare the two teams, Arsenal have a far better squad than their opponents, and even if they rest two or three of their big names, I still think that is the case.

Domestically, Arsenal are outside of the top four right now, although only by one point. They have won three of their last four games though, as they push Manchester United and the only game they didn’t win resulted in a good point away at Tottenham last weekend. I think Arsenal are in much better for than they were when they went to BATE, and I think they are better prepared, both of which are big positives for their chances here.

Rennes are mid table in the French league, and sit in 10th coming into this tie. They have a very level record over the last six games, with two wins, two draws and two defeats from them. They know their level, and struggle against those who are better than them. If you put Arsenal into the French league, they would certainly be top four, and more than likely the main challenger to PSG, so you can see the gulf in class here, Rennes are nowhere near that right now, and get completely outclassed when they play one of the bigger teams in the league.

They will come into this game knowing that they have to try and get something here to take and defend when they travel to The Emirates, and that should cause them to open up and attack a little. That is good for Arsenal, and will allow The Gunners to use their speed and quick counter attacking skill to exploit the gaps that are left at the back. The make up of this game is one that suits Arsenal and their style of play, and Rennes have no choice but to play like it because they need a result.

Is Unai Emery Having a Successful Season so Far?

When Arsenal brought Unai Emery into the club last summer, their focus was on having a long term plan and someone in charge who would be there to see it through. That meant there wasn’t too much pressure on Emery this season, although of course certain standards have to be kept.

As we stand right now, they are challenging for the top four, they are in the last 16 of the Europa League and knocked out of both domestic cup competitions. Those domestic cups don’t really matter too much compared to the other two, and it is those that will decide just how successful, or unsuccessful, this season has been.

The best case scenario for Arsenal would be a top four position and getting to the final of the Europa League. Even if they don’t win it, I think that would be seen as a successful season by the fans. If they compete but just drop out of the top four race in the last game or two, and miss out by a point then I still think the season would be seen as successful if they managed to make the final of the Europa League.

Where it gets tough for them is if they miss out on the Europa League by a few points, and fade away tamely from the position they are in now. If that happens then the only thing I see rescuing them is winning the Europa League, which obviously won’t be easy with some of the teams that are left in it.

An early exit in this round or the next from the Europa League would not be good, and that would add further pressure on their shoulders to reach the top four. We have seen glimpses from Arsenal that suggest they are a top four club, and that they can compete with any club left in the Europa League, but what we haven’t seen this season is them do that on a regular basis. Consistency will be a big word in the summer at this club, and I think the next steps that boss Unai Emery makes will be to shore things up and make his team perform better on a more consistent basis.

Rennes vs Arsenal Betting Tips

If you compare these two teams and the seasons they are having then there is little doubt that Arsenal are the better team out of the two. The Gunners have been in decent form recently and after a loss away from home in this competition in the last round, I expect them to take this game a lot more seriously.

Rennes don’t really have a choice with how they set up, they are going to have to attack Arsenal to try and get something to take with them for the return leg. That will open them up and leave gaps from time to time, which is exactly how Arsenal like to play. They are quick on the counter, and can move the ball up the field in a matter of seconds. I think the game is going to be played just like Arsenal would like it to be played, and for that reason I am backing The Gunners to win away from home here, and take control of this tie.

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