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Europa League 2018/19

Their stadiums may only be separated by an eight-mile hop across London, but Chelsea and Arsenal fans now face a long journey to the eastern edge of Europe for the Europa League final.

Success for both sides on Thursday ensured the Londoners will meet in an all-English final in Baku, Azerbaijan on Wednesday, 29 May.

That means supporters will have to travel 2,468 miles to watch the game in a city further east than Riyadh in Saudi Arabia or Baghdad in Iraq, and closer to Mumbai in India than it is to the English capital.

You might think modern transport would mean journeys would be straightforward.

You would be wrong.

There are currently no direct scheduled flights between London and Baku in the week of the final.

If you want to fly to the game on the day then a lengthy wait in somewhere like Istanbul or Kiev would be needed.

The quickest journey by air on the day of the final takes six hours 55 minutes, with the majority lasting more than 10 hours.

The only way to fly direct to Baku for the game would be to leave London on the Saturday beforehand and return a week later, three days after the trophy has been lifted.

That's an eight-day trip for 90 minutes of football - and for a game which kicks of at 11pm local time (20:00 BST), so will not finish until about 1am!

So what about the train?

It takes more than four days to travel from London to Baku on public transport, passing through seven countries. Anyone who watched BBC Two's Race Across the World will know it might also involve some less-than-first-class rail conditions.

The whole journey would likely include 11 changes and a two-day train journey from Kharkiv in Ukraine to Baku.

Of course, you could drive, but the minimum journey time is listed online as 58 hours and that would pass through a closed border crossing and an area of eastern Ukraine in which Russian-backed rebels are confronting Ukrainian troops along a mainly static frontline. Making the actual journey safely, therefore, would take considerably longer.

When you take in the time needed to eat and sleep, it would probably be best to set off on the Saturday to make the Wednesday night kick-off.

For the victors, another game thousands of miles away against English opponents will only be a matter of months away - the Champions League winners will face the Europa League winners (either Arsenal or Chelsea) in the Uefa Super Cup in Istanbul, Turkey on Wednesday, 14 August.

But if you think those trips are remarkable for two teams from the same city, they are nothing compared to the 2018 Copa Libertadores final.

In December, the second leg of south America's showpiece event - originally due to be staged in Buenos Aires in Argentina - was moved more than 6,000 miles to Madrid after the Boca bus was attacked on its way to the stadium.
 
Maurizio Sarri said he is concerned about the effects of Chelsea travelling to the United States for a friendly next week after they reached the Europa League final.

The Blues face Leicester in the league on Sunday, then play New England Revolution three days later before facing Arsenal in Baku on 29 May.

The match has been arranged to raise funds for anti-discrimination.

"We have to recover energy because we are really very tired," Sarri said.

"Unfortunately we have to go to the United States. I think in this moment we need to rest then we have 10 days to prepare for the final."
 
Gooner told me that when they get to cup finals the tickets are given out on a ballot basis.

Both the location of the final and the allocation of tickets is an absolute joke though. I don’t like the idea of heritage qualification or coefficient points but hosting a tournament or cup final should at least go to a city in a country that is accessible and has a footballing connection.
 
markysimmo said:
Maurizio Sarri said he is concerned about the effects of Chelsea travelling to the United States for a friendly next week after they reached the Europa League final.

The Blues face Leicester in the league on Sunday, then play New England Revolution three days later before facing Arsenal in Baku on 29 May.

The match has been arranged to raise funds for anti-discrimination.

"We have to recover energy because we are really very tired," Sarri said.

"Unfortunately we have to go to the United States. I think in this moment we need to rest then we have 10 days to prepare for the final."
Click to expand...
If they want to raise more money I’m sure there’s plenty who would sponsor a Robert Huth return to Leicester with him man marking Hazard...
 
nayimfromthehalfwayline said:
Definitely want Chelsea to win.

With their transfer ban itll be better in the long run for us.

Particularly as it will really set Arsenal back. Them getting CL this year would be terrible.
Click to expand...

True, although their recent appeal rejection means that there's time for them to take their appeal to CAS who are likely to suspend the ban until they can make a ruling. Which would free them up to make signings this year.
 
JerusalemMan said:
True, although their recent appeal rejection means that there's time for them to take their appeal to CAS who are likely to suspend the ban until they can make a ruling. Which would free them up to make signings this year.
Click to expand...

Potentially, but even then that would be my preference.

If the window is open for Chelsea they are losing Hazard, and their recent recruitment strategy leaves a lot to be desired...

Its not something that would concern me greatly.

AND it is imperative (IMO) that Arsenal are in the EUROPA next year. I feel this is a real tipping point for them.

CL and they have a chance at recruiting well and coming back strong again, EUROPA and I think the decline could become terminal...
 
I quite agree. Hazard leaving Chelsea is almost certain to result in a fall in their quality. And any recruitment may not be entirely with a long-term Sarri project in mind.
But Arsenal having to purchase players without CL funding or football to offer...could leave them in a long dismal and dark rut. More Mustafis and Xhakas to follow.
 
markysimmo said:
Their stadiums may only be separated by an eight-mile hop across London, but Chelsea and Arsenal fans now face a long journey to the eastern edge of Europe for the Europa League final.

Success for both sides on Thursday ensured the Londoners will meet in an all-English final in Baku, Azerbaijan on Wednesday, 29 May.

That means supporters will have to travel 2,468 miles to watch the game in a city further east than Riyadh in Saudi Arabia or Baghdad in Iraq, and closer to Mumbai in India than it is to the English capital.

You might think modern transport would mean journeys would be straightforward.

You would be wrong.

There are currently no direct scheduled flights between London and Baku in the week of the final.

If you want to fly to the game on the day then a lengthy wait in somewhere like Istanbul or Kiev would be needed.

The quickest journey by air on the day of the final takes six hours 55 minutes, with the majority lasting more than 10 hours.

The only way to fly direct to Baku for the game would be to leave London on the Saturday beforehand and return a week later, three days after the trophy has been lifted.

That's an eight-day trip for 90 minutes of football - and for a game which kicks of at 11pm local time (20:00 BST), so will not finish until about 1am!

So what about the train?

It takes more than four days to travel from London to Baku on public transport, passing through seven countries. Anyone who watched BBC Two's Race Across the World will know it might also involve some less-than-first-class rail conditions.

The whole journey would likely include 11 changes and a two-day train journey from Kharkiv in Ukraine to Baku.

Of course, you could drive, but the minimum journey time is listed online as 58 hours and that would pass through a closed border crossing and an area of eastern Ukraine in which Russian-backed rebels are confronting Ukrainian troops along a mainly static frontline. Making the actual journey safely, therefore, would take considerably longer.

When you take in the time needed to eat and sleep, it would probably be best to set off on the Saturday to make the Wednesday night kick-off.

For the victors, another game thousands of miles away against English opponents will only be a matter of months away - the Champions League winners will face the Europa League winners (either Arsenal or Chelsea) in the Uefa Super Cup in Istanbul, Turkey on Wednesday, 14 August.

But if you think those trips are remarkable for two teams from the same city, they are nothing compared to the 2018 Copa Libertadores final.

In December, the second leg of south America's showpiece event - originally due to be staged in Buenos Aires in Argentina - was moved more than 6,000 miles to Madrid after the Boca bus was attacked on its way to the stadium.
Click to expand...
With the unexpected joy of getting to the CL final this year, thank GHod our final didn't happen to be there.

Hala Madrid!
 
Its only a couple of hundred miles east of Tblisi, which has hosted plenty of European games over the years, Dinamo have won the ECWC too.

It's not that far off the beaten track.
 
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