Chelsea Vs Arsenal: Europa Cup Final (4 - 1) On 29th May 2019
....Arsenal vs Chelsea.
Emery and his squad will leave for the controversial host city in Azerbaijan on Saturday and use local training facilities to get ready for Wednesday night’s all-London final.
Arsenal, who are going to take a big squad on the 5,000-mile round-trip as they can name 12 substitutes for the game, see it as a chance to get acclimatised to the conditions.
Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri, in contrast, however thinks his team is better served by continuing to use their Surrey training base in London.
They will not fly out until Monday.
Both clubs will be allowed train in Baku’s Olympic stadium, which stages the final, to get used to the pitch.
Petr Cech has been Arsenal’s Europa League goalkeeper this season and the showpiece final would be the stopper’s final match in football before his retirement, coming against his old club no less.
But Cascarino said: “Petr Cech should not play in the Europa League final. Not because he is due to join Chelsea as a sporting director but because he is a far inferior player to Bernd Leno.
“If a manager picks a second-choice goalkeeper in a game of such magnitude, it is a sackable offence. It’s total negligence. Cech is the number two at Arsenal for a reason. It will be ridiculous if the 37-year-old starts the biggest game of their season.â€
This is clear hyperbole from Cascarino. Manchester United played their second choice goalkeeper, Sergio Romero, in the 2017 final and beat Ajax 2-0.
If Cech, who signed for Arsenal for a reported (BBC) £10m in 2015, plays the match and Arsenal win, it absolutely wouldn’t be a negligent decision from Unai Emery.
It would likely be perceived as a hugely respectful and poignant call, and should curry favour among the rest of the squad.
Even if Cech makes a mistake, Emery could justify his decision by stating he was simply sticking with the policy he employed all season.
