[5] The match was contested between English sides Chelsea and Arsenal, who had beaten Eintracht Frankfurt and Valencia, respectively, in the semi-finals to set up a London derby in the final.

[20] The match was the fourth Europa League final for manager Unai Emery, who joined Arsenal at the start of the season as the replacement for Arsène Wenger.

The sides met twice during the 2018–19 Premier League season, with each winning at home: Chelsea by a score of 3–2 in the first match at Stamford Bridge, and Arsenal 2–0 in the second at Emirates Stadium.

The brand identity for the final was unveiled at the group stage draw on 31 August 2018, taking inspiration from several prominent buildings in Baku.

The remaining tickets are allocated to the local organising committee, national associations, commercial partners, and broadcasters, and to serve the corporate hospitality programme.

[41] The match had an official attendance of 51,370, making it the third-largest crowd for a Europa League final, but the stadium had large sections of empty seats.

[43][44] A report in The Times claimed that local authorities had opened the turnstiles for ticketless fans during the first half to increase attendance and avoid embarrassment, without the authorisation of UEFA.

[55][56] Several fans from the United Kingdom of Armenian descent were initially denied their entry visas, but allowed into the country after intervention from UEFA.

[57] Amnesty International's UK branch criticised the choice of Azerbaijan on the basis of its human rights violations, calling the hosting of the final an "attempt to sportswash its image".

As well as Kanté and Kovačić in midfield, also restored to the team were goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, defenders Emerson Palmieri and Andreas Christensen, and forwards Eden Hazard and Olivier Giroud.

For Arsenal, midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan ruled himself out of selection for the match; the Armenian reportedly feared for his safety due to political tensions between his country and the host nation for the final, Azerbaijan.

[62] Also missing was midfielder Aaron Ramsey, who had suffered a hamstring injury in the second leg of Arsenal's quarter-final against Napoli,[63] and right-back Héctor Bellerín, who had ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in a 2–0 win over Chelsea in January 2019.

[64] In goal for Arsenal was former Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Čech, playing in his final game before retirement, four years after making the move across London for a fee of £10 million.

The only players to be retained from the starting line-up against Burnley on the final day of the league season were Nacho Monreal and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, as Arsenal lined up in a 3–4–1–2 formation.

[65] In a scoreless first half, Granit Xhaka had a shot for Arsenal that clipped the top of the bar, while Chelsea's Olivier Giroud forced Petr Čech into a save low to his left.

[66] Five minutes later, Chelsea were awarded a penalty after a foul on Giroud by Ainsley Maitland-Niles, which Hazard rolled into the left corner, sending Čech the wrong way.