UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE - 2020/21 SEASON MATCH PRESS KITS Estadio de la Cerámica - Villarreal Thursday 29 April 2021 21.00CET (21.00 local time) Villarreal CF Semi-finals, First leg Arsenal FC Last updated 29/04/2021 09:40CET Previous meetings 2 Match background 6 Team facts 8 Squad list 10 Fixtures and results 14 Match-by-match lineups 18 Match officials 22 Legend 24 1 Villarreal CF - Arsenal FC Thursday 29 April 2021 - 21.00CET (21.00 local time) Match press kit Estadio de la Cerámica, Villarreal Previous meetings Head to Head UEFA Champions League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 3-0 Walcott 10, Adebayor 15/04/2009 QF Arsenal FC - Villarreal CF London agg: 4-1 60, Van Persie 69 (P) Senna 10; Adebayor 07/04/2009 QF Villarreal CF - Arsenal FC 1-1 Villarreal 66 UEFA Champions League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 0-0 25/04/2006 SF Villarreal CF - Arsenal FC Villarreal agg: 0-1 19/04/2006 SF Arsenal FC - Villarreal CF 1-0 London Touré 41 Home Away Final Total Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L GF GA Villarreal CF 2 0 2 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 4 0 2 2 1 5 Arsenal FC 2 2 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 4 2 2 0 5 1 Villarreal CF - Record versus clubs from opponents' country UEFA Europa League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Bruno Soriano 7 (og), 3-0 05/05/2016 SF Liverpool FC - Villarreal CF Liverpool Sturridge 63, Lallana agg: 3-1 81 28/04/2016 SF Villarreal CF - Liverpool FC 1-0 Villarreal Adrián López 90+2 UEFA Champions League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Villarreal CF - Manchester City Touré 30, 71, Balotelli 02/11/2011 GS 0-3 Villarreal FC 45+3 (P) Manchester City FC - Villarreal Marchena 43 (og), 18/10/2011 GS 2-1 Manchester CF Agüero 90+3; Cani 4 UEFA Champions League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Villarreal CF - Manchester United 25/11/2008 GS 0-0 Villarreal FC Manchester United FC - Villarreal 17/09/2008 GS 0-0 Manchester CF UEFA Champions League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Manchester United FC - Villarreal 22/11/2005 GS 0-0 Manchester CF Villarreal CF - Manchester United 14/09/2005 GS 0-0 Villarreal FC 2 Villarreal CF - Arsenal FC Thursday 29 April 2021 - 21.00CET (21.00 local time) Match press kit Estadio de la Cerámica, Villarreal UEFA Champions League 2-1 Sorín 20, Forlán 24/08/2005 QR3 Villarreal CF - Everton FC Villarreal agg: 4-2 90+2; Arteta 69 Beattie 42; Figueroa 09/08/2005 QR3 Everton FC - Villarreal CF 1-2 Liverpool 27, Josico 45+1 UEFA Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Guayre 36, Javi Venta 25/11/2004 GS Villarreal CF - Middlesbrough FC 2-0 Villarreal 75 Arsenal FC - Record versus clubs from opponents' country UEFA Europa League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Gameiro 11, 58; 2-4 09/05/2019 SF Valencia CF - Arsenal FC Valencia Aubameyang 17, 69, agg: 3-7 88, Lacazette 50 Lacazette 18, 26, 02/05/2019 SF Arsenal FC - Valencia CF 3-1 London Aubameyang 90+1; Diakhaby 11 UEFA Europa League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Club Atlético de Madrid - 1-0 03/05/2018 SF Madrid Diego Costa 45+2 Arsenal FC agg: 2-1 Arsenal FC - Club Atlético de Lacazette 61; 26/04/2018 SF 1-1 London Madrid Griezmann 82 UEFA Champions League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Neymar 18, Luis 3-1 16/03/2016 R16 FC Barcelona - Arsenal FC Barcelona Suárez 65, Messi 88; agg: 5-1 Elneny 51 23/02/2016 R16 Arsenal FC - FC Barcelona 0-2 London Messi 71, 83 (P) UEFA Champions League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Messi 45+3, 71 (P), 3-1 Xavi Hernández 69; 08/03/2011 R16 FC Barcelona - Arsenal FC Barcelona agg: 4-3 Sergio Busquets 53 (og) Van Persie 78, 16/02/2011 R16 Arsenal FC - FC Barcelona 2-1 London Arshavin 83; Villa 26 UEFA Champions League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 4-1 Messi 21, 37, 42, 88; 06/04/2010 QF FC Barcelona - Arsenal FC Barcelona agg: 6-3 Bendtner 18 Walcott 69, Fàbregas 31/03/2010 QF Arsenal FC - FC Barcelona 2-2 London 85 (P); Ibrahimović 46, 59 3 Villarreal CF - Arsenal FC Thursday 29 April 2021 - 21.00CET (21.00 local time) Match press kit Estadio de la Cerámica, Villarreal UEFA Champions League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Keita 24, Luís 27/11/2007 GS Sevilla FC - Arsenal FC 3-1 Seville Fabiano 34, Kanouté 89 (P); Eduardo 11 Fàbregas 27, Van 19/09/2007 GS Arsenal FC - Sevilla FC 3-0 London Persie 59, Eduardo 90+2 UEFA Champions League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Eto'o 76, Belletti 81; 17/05/2006 F FC Barcelona - Arsenal FC 2-1 Paris Campbell 37 0-0 08/03/2006 R16 Arsenal FC - Real Madrid CF London agg: 1-0 21/02/2006 R16 Real Madrid CF - Arsenal FC 0-1 Madrid Henry 47 UEFA Champions League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 2-0 10/03/2004 R16 Arsenal FC - RC Celta de Vigo London Henry 14, 34 agg: 5-2 Edu 27, José Ignacio 24/02/2004 R16 RC Celta de Vigo - Arsenal FC 2-3 Vigo 64; Edu 18, 58, Pirès 80 UEFA Champions League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Carew 34, 57; Henry 19/03/2003 GS2 Valencia CF - Arsenal FC 2-1 Valencia 49 10/12/2002 GS2 Arsenal FC - Valencia CF 0-0 London UEFA Champions League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Arsenal FC - Real Club Valerón 30, Naybet 12/03/2002 GS2 0-2 London Deportivo La Coruña 40 Real Club Deportivo La Coruña 21/11/2001 GS2 2-0 La Coruna Makaay 9, Tristán 25 - Arsenal FC Pirès 61, Bergkamp 24/10/2001 GS1 Arsenal FC - RCD Mallorca 3-1 London 63, Henry 90+3; Novo 74 Palma de 11/09/2001 GS1 RCD Mallorca - Arsenal FC 1-0 Engonga 12 (P) Mallorca UEFA Champions League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 1-0 17/04/2001 QF Valencia CF - Arsenal FC Valencia Carew 75 agg: 2-2 ag Henry 58, Parlour 59; 04/04/2001 QF Arsenal FC - Valencia CF 2-1 London Ayala 40 4 Villarreal CF - Arsenal FC Thursday 29 April 2021 - 21.00CET (21.00 local time) Match press kit Estadio de la Cerámica, Villarreal UEFA Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Real Club Deportivo La Coruña - 2-1 Víctor 69, Iván Pérez 09/03/2000 R4 La Coruna Arsenal FC agg: 3-6 90; Henry 63 Dixon 5, Henry 29, 66, Arsenal FC - Real Club Deportivo 02/03/2000 R4 5-1 London Kanu 77, Bergkamp La Coruña 82; Djalminha 55 (P) UEFA Champions League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Bergkamp 43, Overmars 84; Rivaldo 19/10/1999 GS1 Arsenal FC - FC Barcelona 2-4 London 14 (P), Luis Enrique 15, Luís Figo 55, Cocu 69 Luis Enrique 16; Kanu 29/09/1999 GS1 FC Barcelona - Arsenal FC 1-1 Barcelona 81 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 1-2 Hartson 75; Esnáider 10/05/1995 F Arsenal FC - Real Zaragoza Paris (aet) 67, Nayim 119 ET UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 0-0 14/05/1980 F Valencia CF - Arsenal FC Brussels (aet, 5-4 pens) Home Away Final Total Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L GF GA Villarreal CF 8 3 4 1 7 1 2 4 0 0 0 0 15 4 6 5 9 15 Arsenal FC 16 9 4 3 16 3 3 10 3 0 1 2 35 12 8 15 47 48 5 Villarreal CF - Arsenal FC Thursday 29 April 2021 - 21.00CET (21.00 local time) Match press kit Estadio de la Cerámica, Villarreal Match background Villarreal head coach Unai Emery comes up against his former club Arsenal, and fellow Spanish counterpart Mikel Arteta, as the two teams do battle for a place in the 2021 UEFA Europa League final. While the Liga side have won every European home game this season, Arsenal are on a record unbeaten away run in this competition. • Villarreal cruised to first place in UEFA Europa League Group I ahead of Maccabi Tel-Aviv, Sivasspor and Qarabağ to reach the round of 32 for the eighth time before comfortably disposing of UEFA Champions League group stage participants Salzburg (2-0 a, 2-1 h) and Dynamo Kyiv (2-0 a, 2-0 h) and then also winning both quarter-final matches against Dinamo Zagreb (1-0 a, 2-1 h). • Arsenal claimed maximum points in the autumn from UEFA Europa League Group B, doing the double over Rapid Wien, Dundalk and fellow qualifiers Molde before eliminating Benfica (1-1 a, 3-2 h), Olympiacos (3-1 a, 0-1 h) and, in the quarter-finals, Slavia Praha (1-1 h, 4-0 a). With 32 goals scored, they are the top-scoring team in this season's UEFA Europa League. Previous meetings • The clubs have been paired twice previously, on each occasion in the UEFA Champions League knockout phase, with Arsenal prevailing in both ties. • The first meeting was in the 2005/06 semi-final, Arsène Wenger's Arsenal defeating Manuel Pellegrini's Villarreal 1-0 in the first leg at Highbury – in the club's final home European encounter at the stadium – thanks to a Kolo Touré strike, before drawing the return 0-0 in Spain.