Slavia Prague v Arsenal preview: Saliba back in contention as Premier League leaders return to Prague
Slavia Prague v Arsenal preview: William Saliba is back in contention as Mikel Arteta's unbeaten side look to tighten their grip on a top-eight Champions League place.
Slavia Prague v Arsenal brings the Premier League leaders back to the ground where they won 3-0 a year ago, and Mikel Arteta has William Saliba available again as he chases a fourth Champions League game without defeat this season.
Main photo: Chensiyuan / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Kick-off at the Fortuna Arena is at 20:00 UK time on Wednesday, with German referee Tobias Stieler in charge.
Arsenal arrive on a high
Arteta’s side travel three points clear at the top of the Premier League after Kai Havertz’s early goal earned a first league win at Anfield in 14 years on Sunday. That came after a 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest, with the only blot on their recent form a surprise Carabao Cup exit against Fleetwood Town.
In Europe they have seven points from three games: a 1-0 win at Napoli, a 3-0 home victory over Lille and a 2-2 draw at Bayern Munich. They are unbeaten in their last 18 Champions League matches, according to Opta.
Slavia Prague v Arsenal team news
The big news is Saliba. The France defender has not played this season because of a back problem, but Arteta made clear he is now a full member of the squad. “Now he’s in. He’s in like anybody else,” the Arsenal manager said, adding that the next step is “giving him minutes”.
Bukayo Saka remains out with a thigh injury. Declan Rice and Riccardo Calafiori have shaken off knocks, while Eberechi Eze is carrying a minor problem. Max Dowman’s three-match ban is for domestic games only, so the teenager is eligible. Up front, Viktor Gyökeres is expected to lead the line, weeks after he rejected talk of an Arsenal exit.
Slavia are without Ivan Schranz, who has been ill for several weeks, and Lukáš Provod and Ange N’Guessan are doubts. Striker Tomáš Chorý is reportedly frozen out by coach Jindřich Trpišovský after a gesture towards a referee.
Slavia strong at home, struggling in Europe
Domestically, Slavia are flying: unbeaten in five and seven points clear at the top of the Czech First League. Europe is another matter. They have one point from three games after losing 3-2 at home to Lens, going down 2-0 at Sabah and drawing 2-2 at Fenerbahçe, who host Liverpool earlier on Wednesday, as covered in our Fenerbahçe v Liverpool preview.
History is firmly against them. Arsenal are unbeaten in five meetings, including a 7-0 win in 2007 and last November’s 3-0 victory in Prague, when Saka scored a penalty and Mikel Merino struck twice. According to Opta, Slavia have not won any of their last 22 Champions League matches.
Key numbers
| Slavia Prague | Arsenal | |
|---|---|---|
| Champions League points | 1 | 7 |
| League-phase record | W0 D1 L2 | W2 D1 L0 |
| Champions League goals (for-against) | 4-7 | 6-2 |
| Domestic position | 1st (Czech First League) | 1st (Premier League) |
| Head-to-head (last 5) | W0 D2 L3 | W3 D2 L0 |
| Key absentees | Schranz | Saka |
What’s at stake
A win would lift Arsenal to 10 points and strengthen their bid for a top-eight finish and a direct route to the last 16. For more on the manager’s standing, our sister site DGBN has looked at where Arteta ranks after joining the elite 250 club. For Slavia, a fourth game without a win in this season’s competition would leave them with a steep climb just to reach the play-off places.
