🕟 Kick Off: 17:45 GMT

🏟️ Venue: Fortuna Arena

📺 UK Broadcaster: TNT Sports

🙎🏻‍♂️ Referee: Aliyar Aghayev 🇦🇿

📹 VAR: Rob Dieperink 🇳🇱

🔴 Arsenal Team News:

• Zubimendi: Suspended due to yellow cards accrued.
• Gyokeres: Came off at half time against Burnley and was not seen in open training.
• Martinelli: Ruled out following an injury sustained against Palace.
• Odegaard: Ruled out with an MCL injury, return expected after the November international break.
• Madueke: Ruled out with a knee injury, return expected after the November international break.
• Havertz: Return expected after the November international break.
• Jesus: In recovery following a torn ACL. Expected to return to full training in December.

⚽ Arsenal Form: 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

🇨🇿 Slavia Prague Team News:

• Dominik Javorcek: Knee injury – Out until mid-November 2025.
• Igoh Ogbu: Strain injury – Doubtful.
• Tomas Holes: Knee injury – Doubtful.
• Petr Sevcik: Knee injury – Unavailable.
• Filip Horsky: Cruciate ligament injury – Out until late January 2026.
• Ivan Schranz: Physical discomfort – Doubtful.

⚽ Slavia Prague Form: 🟩🟩🟧🟧🟧

⚔️ Head-to-Head:

• Slavia Prague 0-4 Arsenal (15 April 2021, Europa League)
• Arsenal 1-1 Slavia Prague (8 April 2021, Europa League)
• Slavia Prague 0-0 Arsenal (7 November 2007, Champions League)
• Arsenal 7-0 Slavia Prague (23 October 2007, Champions League)

📖 Match Facts:

• Arsenal have never conceded a goal away against Slavia Prague.
• Arsenal have never played a match in Czechia outside of Prague, having played Slavia Prague twice and Sparta Prague thrice.

✍🏼 Pre-Match Ramblings

We go to Prague for the penultimate game in this highly congested run of fixtures that has taken us through October and into November without conceding a single goal in the three competitions we played in. That first match fact bodes well to continue this run, especially given that Sparta Prague failed to beat Bodø/Glimt in their only home game in the Champions League so far this season, ending the match tied 2-2.

The upcoming international break is so close, yet guarded by this trip to Czechia and a trip to Sunderland at the weekend, and it is no surprise that our injury list is starting to fill out with Gyokeres the latest to have a potential issue. Zubimendi will appreciate the rest which he is being forced to take with a suspension, but Rice will have to be careful as he faces missing our home tie against Bayern should he see yellow tomorrow.

Despite a hostile atmosphere awaiting us, I firmly believe that we can win this one with some significant rotation. I would like to see the back four that played in the Carabao Cup get another game together, with Merino up front flanked by Nwaneri on one side, and probably Trossard on the other given our lack of options. Harriman-Annous trained with the first team today instead of the U19s, so expect to see him travel with the team.

I don’t have anything to say about Sparta Prague and their playstyle given the last time I watched them was when we beat them 0-4 in the Europa League 4 years ago with a lineup consisting of Xhaka at left back, Mari and Holding at centre back, and Chambers at RB. How’s that for a throwback?