The teams are finally out for Arsenal’s Europa League clash with Slavia Prague in the Czech Republic.
The Gunners had to settle for a 1-1 draw at the Emirates last week after their rivals struck a last-minute equaliser, and we simply can’t afford to lose focus during today’s encounter.
Our league position at present means we need a minor-miracle to to earn European football without winning the Europa League, and winning this illustrious competition will hardly be a walk in the park.
We will have to focus on one opponent at a time however, and we cannot afford to take the Czech side lightly.
We were already aware that we would be without both Kieran Tierney for this evening’s match, as well as the remainder of April at least, but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Martin Odegaard’s potential availability was yet to be confirmed.
Using the information known to us, we predicted the following Arsenal starting XI in our Team News earlier on today and was pretty far off…
Leno
Bellerin Holding Gabriel Cedric
Partey Xhaka
Saka Smith Rowe Willian
Lacazette
📋 Tonight's team news…
🏴 @EmileSmithRowe starts
🇨🇭 Granit Xhaka at left back
🇫🇷 @LacazetteAlex leads the line🏆 #UEL
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) April 15, 2021
Do you agree with Arteta’s chosen starting line-up? What scoreline are we predicting after seeing the team?
Patrick
COYG 🙏
I have a feeling they are gonna win comfortably tonight.
😊 Let’s hope, HH! I’m nervous as hell….
They didn’t win comfortably at Home, your feeling might deceive you HH…lol
Pretty spot on with my prediction.
Declan, you’re always spot on with your predictions 😉
Looking like a draw…
This team should be enough to see off QF and enter into semi
Hope the boys can do the business tonight…
Our whole season hinges on this match…
Anything short of a qualification should see Arteta shown the exit come season’s end..
We need to goals. Come on boys.
Mari starts!!!!! We are winning then,coyg!
I’m unsure of this match and we need to tread cautiously else we could get knocked out. We need to be firing from the jump like Mario. No hot and cold stuff. It won’t be easy for us at all.
Wish Martinelli started
Anyway COYG
I had the feeling that Martinelli would be on the bench.
Willian! Willian!! Willian!!!
My only misgiving. Would have preferred Pepe or Martinelli in there
I hope he proves me wrong.
Willian isn’t starting.
Pepe is
I prefer a more attacking line-up with Soares and Bellerin as attacking fullbacks, but I think Arteta wants to surprise Slavia Prague and to start cautiously. I predict Ceballos would make some crucial through balls again
Quite a brave lineup. Xhaka as left back or is it a back 3 in a 3-4-3 formation.
And: Balogun as sub.
Coyg
Yes balogun on the bench. Could be good news coming!!!
I am not comfortable with this experimental positioning. It’s risky. It may work, it may backfire on us.
A big test but Gooners win 3-1
Firepower on the bench.
Unai in the Semi?
Just read an article about Leno exit rumours. Haven’t been here for a while but what I’ll say is this fanbase is pathetic. We hope our own players fail just so our favorites can start. Ozil and Iwobi also comes to mind. Even people here were angry when Martinez started over Leno. They wanted Leno to get back his place at all cost. He was error prone from Bayer Leverkusen so I don’t know what fans want to change about him .you asked for him so deal with it. He is our last line of defense and we can’t have him feeling uncomfortable.
Kev let’s just pray Leno has a good game tonight because if we lose this match I will be so sad.
We as the fans got to live above somethings. We can’t afford to lose this match. While some are thinking of winning the Europa to qualify for the UCL I want to win it because it is silverware. Any trophy is better than nothing and I want us to win the Europa because we don’t have any modern European title. We need it
Lenohappy you were one of them slagging him off, now acting like you wishing him the best.
What a hypocrite 🤣
Some fans like some players more than their club. People idolize figures
What happened to aubamayang and why is Martinell not starting.
Auba and Odegaard has not trained with the team, so he might still be ill.
The worst case, there is more to “I don’t speak to all my players everyday.”
I would prefer Saka in LB than Xhaka. The gamble paid off against Sheffield, but not sure this time.
Fortunately Kev I don’t think he reads us. But get your point – definite line between not liking a player and hoping he plays badly – that’s just not on.
Like the line up. Risky with Xhaka there but it worked last game so why not. Close call between ESR and GM …
Feels right though. Are we all excited?
COYGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGs!
Nice lineup. Who do you guys think is playing #10 ESR or Saka?
Saka will move between CAM and right half-winger/ mezzala
Sending my prayers&good wishes to arteta&the players,especially ceballos&xhaka to make less mistakes&score more goals in tonight’s game
Is Thomas in the starting eleven or not
Strong team except for Ceballos who can make dire mistakes. Let’s hope he’s a hero tonight. I’m happy because Willian is not playing.
Lol you forgot to mention Leno and Xhaka as well
Auba caught malaria then…
Why didn’t Arteta start the strong snap shot shooter at goal Mo Elneny to pair Partey at the base of the Arsenal defence, in place of the error making Dani Cebbalos he has started tonight? Dani whose unforced error making in our last away ELC match against Olympiakos almost cost Arsenal the win they had in the match.
I am not at the Arsenal’s London Colney training ground training sessions to be in the position to know why Arteta has preferred starting Cebbalos ahead of Elneny in what looks could allnight combative ELC away match for Arsenal.
Nevertheless, I am strongly relying on Arsenal away winning run so far in this competition to see Arsenal prevail on Slavia Prague tonight in this 2bd leg quarterfinal match that is taking place between the duo club sides.
YESSSSSS!!!
😫😫😫😫
YES! Just what we needed!
THAT ONE COUNTS!
🥳
Damn
Boom!!
Var is rubbish it is supposed to be clear and obvious and if it takes that long it cant be gooooooooooal
Blooming marvellous
That disallowed goal woke them up a bit
Come on!!!!!
BOOM!!!!
Thank goodness Pepe is in place of Willian
Penalty???
LETS GO ARSENAL! KEEP SCORING!
Cmon boys this is the way to do it. 2-0 up, goal disallowed, penalty. Keep up the tempo.
I dont have BT Sports so cant watch
Can’t you watch on hesgoal?
Saka!!!!
Total Sportek too
Hey Sean I watch all my Europa games live stream on Twitter.. no breaking, streaming easily
It’s raining goals!!!
Deep, deep joy!👏👏👏👏
STAR BOY SAKA!!!!! LETS GO BOYS!!!
Auba… this is for you!!.
Que? Wow!!!!!
Who says our players are mid table level…. Naaaaaah like I always said its all bout tactics, motivation …
ESR ESR ESR.
Pepe on the left seems to be a whole different animal.. He doesn’t need to do all the cut in, simple shoot will his deadly left…
Arteta hope ur taking note (oh he ain’t gon see this post) 😁
Let’s go lads!!!
My word!..Where was this football all season?
Simply because Arteta was obsessed with his favourites
Goal Saka
We look fantastic without Auba and Willian! Makes such a difference when you have players that actually want to play.
Hopefully Arteta learns this time around…
-Pepe LW and nowhere else
-Willian bench
-No Bellerin
-Auba bench(while attitudes poor)
-Mari playing when fit
-Xhaka not in midfield(play is so much faster through the middle)
What about Laca?
Auba being bench implies Laca starting
New deal?
Tough one, really divides opinion. I wouldn’t be against a 2 year deal, but not anything more IMO
Those 2 years we’ll need to get our youngsters more experience like Martinelli and Balogun
He has short legs so they out run him easily. Lol
If ever there was a reason to sack Arteta it his complete incompetence of Coaching the offside rule to his team. FFS just what does this novice do all week? I do not blame ESR at all for having the toe-nail on his left foot 0.005mm (approximately) in an offside position. His Manager is totally responsible an£ should be sacked at half-time. I would also not allow him on the plane home with the rest of the squad.
🤣 What I want to know is was your wife selected? And did she buy any digestives? 😜
Ha Ha Sue- obviously I know who is the boss in this house so I never mentioned what I said.
Have to say I was always very confident. I said to @Ken1065 last night we would win. His prediction? A 2-0 loss.
Great first half performance from everyone but I really am so impressed with Calum Chambers. When you watch the third goal, he won the ball and after laying it off to Saka, he was sprinting forward to give him options. He couldn’t catch him but I loved his desire to get forward.
I would settle for a controlled second half with a clean sheet every bit as important as anothe4 goal
Enjoy Sue
That’s the thing though, Phil, we’re so bloody hard to predict!! I never for one minute expected the first half to pan out that way 😄 Fair play though, everyone has put a shift in. You’re right – Chambers has done well.. makes a nice change to see them drive forward, hey?! 😉
You too, Phil 👍
😂😂
Phil taking your chance to get a couple hits in while we actually playing well 🤣 I just hope we can do it for more than 3 games in a row for a change
@PJ-SA- don’t worry. Arteta still has 45 minutes to fck it all up
Villarreal winning….
holding and smith rowe impressive
Who are we playing in the semis?
Emery and Villarreal
Great game so far from our side! I guess ESR at that CAM spot is such a huge difference maker! Makes our movement very fluid. Pepe at LW working really well and he took that goal really well. Nice tactics from MA today.
COYG!
Smith-Rowe was amazing with his ball control, movements and ball recoveries. Pepe was fantastic too
Yup Pepe played really well! I guess ESR’s directness in that role is what makes our team play better. Against low blocks, someone like Ode might be better. But depends on the overall tactics by MA.
We should start discussing the two legged tie and reunion with Unai and Villareal
No worries John, as far as our players keep fit and maintain this new found spirit, we should be alright against the yellows..
That’s the kind of match, auba shines bright.. We usually put up a fight against supposed superior teams..
Chambers at right back, Pepe at LW Saka at RW and ESR at CAM, Mari at CB , a core to be preserved….
Maybe they should be taken off this second half to prevent injuries
May be after 60th Mins Saka, And ESR should be replaced to give them rest
I want to be optimistic but this thing with former players coming to hunt us……. I’m worried about a former manager doing the same.
I’m hoping our guys play well in both legs, we will be fine.
Let’s go Arsenal! Score 7 goals for Kamara (#7) and to punish and humiliate the despicable racist Slavia fans holding that nasty, hateful sign
calling Kamara the n word
Arteta the tinkerman again with 4-2-3-1. But I told you to forget our awful record in Europe, because Arteta’s tactics are better than his predecessors
Our attackers were fantastic and other outfield players were great too. Leno didn’t have any threat whatsoever
The huge plus comes from pressing very high today.
We’re through to the semis, another battle for another day.
Fans need to learn to be patient.. compare the aura here now with the one just a week ago.
You’d think we lost that game at home and we were coming to the Camp Nou to play Barca today.
I enjoyed that first half, I hope we score a couple more goals tbh.
Thank the heavens we won’t have to face the sad and negative vibes on here for the rest of this week.
Let’s enjoy tonight.
The job is far from done. 3 games stands between us and UCL plus n European trophy
Fingers crossed
Yeah I really enjoyed it too. Hopefully nobody gets injured
Still waiting for Cellabos splitting through ball
Me too 😁
😁Hope it comes
GAI what makes MA’s tactics better than wenger? You keep on yapping about how his tactics are better than AW and UE, yet his wonderful tactics have worse results than those two. It doesn’t matter what tactics is used when the results are not there.
What a half..
It’s 1:30 Midnight here and still joy watch
Wonderful..
My prayers&good wishes working wonders thus far
ESR and Saka are sensational. Gotta stay alert though. I’m happy for Pepe for showing his skills. This is what we want…what we expect.
👍
When we. Play this one touch football, passing in quick angles we do really well. But some games its like there juat no effort and pass sideways, cant see why it cant be like this more often than not.
It won’t be perfect in a short while. What I thought would be constant is the desire, irrespective of the result. If the desire and fight is consistent and the pattern and tactics gets fine tuned, we will be on our way to greatness.
Because normally Xhakais in the middle slowing down play
So far so good. Glad ESR got ab assist and Saka a goal. Who said Hale End isn’t productive 😂😂😂 Hope we get to score more in second half COYG !
Saka and ESR should not play more than 60min today. We might see Azeez
In the 2nd half of the match, ltd the Gunners not take their winning the match for granted because they are winning 3 nil in the match at half time.
But rather, they should up the gear in their game in the 2nd half of the match to increase the tempo on Slavia Prague more than they upped it in the 1st half when they score thrice to lead them 1-4 on goals difference at 1st half.
IfArsenal up the tempo in the 2nd half more than they upped it in the 1st half, they score thrice again to finally walopped Slavia Prague 1-7 on goals difference at the end of the match.
I’d love it if we scored 7 overall
Ajax dominating Roma in Rome… maybe its them v UTD.
Let’s give some subs a run out
Games well won, why not give some youngsters a run out and some valuable experience??
Boom!!!!!
I wish it was always this easy peasy
Lovely finish
Great performance from everyone. Hopefully we never see willian or Luiz play again.
Ah man was hoping to see Azeez, love that guy! Oh well
Nice to see Nketiah after so long…
Next is Nelson😂
Well done Laca. Shows what trying hard can do.
Great win! We march on towards Unai and the yellow submarines!!
COYG!
Nice win&the quest to win the europa league is on once again