Arsenal will take on Slavia Prague at the Fortuna Stadium tonight and they are overwhelming favourites to secure all three points. The Gunners are currently enjoying a purple patch under Mikel Arteta. They are unbeaten in their last 12 matches in all competitions, drawing only one of those fixtures – against Man City. Their recent form, coupled with their perfect UCL record so far, has made them firm favourites to emerge victorious tonight.
That said, Mikel Arteta believes the reigning Czech champions will prove to be a tough opponent when they face off later today. Quizzed on the importance of rotation ahead of a big game, the Spaniard had this to say via Arsenal: “Yes, that’s a situation that we’ve been dealing with for a few weeks and trying to have the right freshness, the right cohesion within the team.
“The team has been competing really well in all different competitions and tomorrow we know that we have a really tough match here, they are unbeaten here at home all season. It’s a team that are very used to playing together, they have a very clear philosophy, they create a massive atmosphere as well, so we know it’s going to be a really tough match.”
Slavia Prague’s strong home form
Jindrich Trpisovsky’s side have drawn two and lost one of their opening three UCL games. A valiant team performance secured a goalless draw away to Atalanta last time out, leaving them just a few places below the play off spots. Taking a broader look at their form, they are yet to lose a game at home this season and currently lead the Czech Liga on goal difference. They are also yet to concede a single goal in their last five outings in all competitions, even though three of those games ended in goalless draws.
Arsenal v Slavia Prague – Match Preview, Team News, Line-Up and Score Predictions
Arsenal’s attacking concerns
Arsenal have proven their goalscoring capabilities this term, but a growing list of injuries in the forward areas could be a detriment. Viktor Gyökeres is yet another big name set for a spell on the sidelines and it could have a massive impact on the two games ahead of the international break.
Will Viktor Gyökeres be a huge miss against Slavia Prague and Sunderland? Let’s discuss in the comments.
Benjamin Kenneth
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I would like to see the young academy 17 year old start again instead of Merino.
Esp with all our forwards out let’s see if he can step up …also if Jesus is unlikely to be here next season unless re mark able turnaround of fortune and goals then let’s see if we can save £50mn by getting the young man playing
We have already won 3 games so we can afford to be a little brave…. he ran the line well against Brighton who you would think are similar level of opposition to Prague