Arsenal travel to Prague on Tuesday evening looking to maintain their perfect Champions League record against a Slavia side desperate for their first competition win since 2007.
Predicted Lineups
Arsenal (4-3-3): Raya; White, Saliba, Hincapie, Lewis-Skelly; Eze, Norgaard, Rice; Saka, Merino, Trossard
Slavia Prague (3-4-1-2): Markovic; Zima, Chaloupek, Vlcek; Moses, Oscar, Zafeiris, Mbodji; Provod; Chory, Chytil
Arsenal’s Injury Crisis
Martin Zubimendi will miss Tuesday’s fixture through suspension after collecting yellow cards in all three Champions League matches. Christian Norgaard might make his first Champions League start, anchoring midfield alongside Declan Rice.
Martin Zubimendi in action against Athletic Bilbao alongside Decland Rice Arsenal Athletic Bilbao
Martin Zubimendi in action against Athletic Bilbao alongside Decland Rice (via Evening Standard)
Viktor Gyokeres didn’t train on Monday after picking up a knock during Saturday’s halftime substitution against Burnley. Mikel Merino is expected to deputize as emergency striker if Gyokeres remains unavailable. Gabriel Martinelli joins the injury list with a muscle problem, while captain Martin Odegaard, Noni Madueke, Kai Havertz, and Gabriel Jesus remain long-term absentees.
Piero Hincapie should partner William Saliba at centre-back, with Ben White and Myles Lewis-Skelly on either flank.
Slavia Prague’s Absentees
Slavia face their own crisis with captain Jan Boril, Ivan Schranz, Filip Horsky, Petr Sevcik, Dominik Javorcek, Tomas Holes, and Igoh Ogbu all ruled out through injuries. Lukas Provod captains the side in Boril’s absence.
Despite absentees, Slavia remain unbeaten domestically after 14 rounds, sitting top of the Czech First League. However, their European struggles continue—they’ve collected just two points from three Champions League matches and haven’t won in the competition since 2007.
Head-to-Head History
Arsenal demolished Slavia 7-0 at the Emirates in 2007 before drawing 0-0 in Prague. More recently, Arsenal won 4-0 in the 2021 Europa League quarter-final. Arsenal have never lost to Czech opposition, winning eight of 10 previous encounters.
The Stakes
Arsenal sit fourth in the Champions League table with nine points from nine available, having scored eight goals without conceding. Victory would virtually guarantee knockout qualification with four matches remaining.
For Slavia, their winless European run stretching back to 2007 suggests escaping with anything positive will require their performance of the season.
Kick-off: 5:45 PM Tuesday, November 5th, 2025
Venue: Fortuna Arena, Prague
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