please log in to view this image Venue: Fortuna Arena Date: Tuesday 4th November 2025 KO time: 17:45 GMT Overall Record Wins: 2 Losses: 0 Draws: 2 Last six meetings Slavia Prague 0-4 Arsenal Arsenal 1-1 Slavia Prague Slavia Prague 0-0 Arsenal Arsenal 7-0 Slavia Prague please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image
Many of our back up players need minutes. I want to see Nwaneri and MLS start this game - as well as Max Dowman. Ben White. Mosquera, Norgaard and Hincapie also.
As I said before Jay. I just don't think Arteta will do this until we've got qualification to the top-8 secured. He will play as strong an XI as we have available until it's mathematically done. In an ideal world, we play a strong XI, are cruising the game by a few goals by the 65th-70th minute and then take off our big hitters early so they can have an earlier rest in preparation for the Sunderland match.
I dunno, seems like we have a few players that could play but are not 100%, I would rather rest them and play them in the next Prem game instead, so if it means a weaker team for the CL game, so be it.
Arteta's comments on Gyokeres don't sound promising. So typical that the minute Havertz is about to come back from injury, it sounds like we may have lost Gyokeres for a little while. I really hope it's nothing overly serious, but I'd be amazed if he makes the Sunderland game. Martinelli also hasn't been called up to the Brazil squad, which means he must be out of the Sunderland game too. We have got an injury crisis in the forward line... Need to get through these next two games and re-group after the break.
Really bad luck - Havertz, Gyokeres, Jesus and Martinelli all out injured at the same time. That's ALL the options for CF out. We can play Trossard and Merino there but neither is ideal.
Saka, Merino and Trossard front 3 it is then... Norgaard, Nwaneri and Rice in midfield could be interesting. Hincapie starts. That bench is looking pretty thin compared to previous games...
Given so many injuries I think Mosquera, White, Eze, Calafiori, Lewis-Skelly, Dowman are incredible options to have from the bench I would have put Trossard through the middle and had Eze on the left Merino as sub
Thought the Slavia defender was slightly unlucky that was given, but his hand was quite high up when it didn't need to be. I think we've upped the ante in the last 5-10 minutes and had a lot of shots/corners that were a result of sustained pressure. Prior to that, Slavia were being very aggressive, pressing high and we struggled a bit when they were going direct.
Merino booked for a late challenge. Nwaneri also booked earlier for stopping a counter. We need to keep our discipline here and make sure we don't get anyone sent off.
Nwaneri's had a pretty poor game. Lost possession easily, overhit his crosses, his combinations play with the forwards aren't coming off and his shots have been poor quality.
Yep thought that was slightly harsh on the slavia defender, but big gabby heads it onto his hand and it was goal bound. The refs are really strict on this in the CL. Just glad it was one that went for us rather than against us.
He's not progressing - if anything going backwards. Has the talent but he needs to keep it more simple at times and he's showing a greedy streak that I don't like.
The only question really is whether his hand stopped the ball from going towards the goal - if it did then its a penalty as the hand is not in a natural position. I will say this, though.. no way we get that penalty in the PL.
Slavia have a corner and it came about because Saka didn't protect the ball properly and their left back outmuscled him and was allowed to gallop forward. They have a lot of 6 ft+ players, so we need to avoid giving them set-pieces.
Saka pretending he's seriously injured again. Getting tired of it TBH. Every time he's tackled I expect him to be injured these days. Such a talent, one of the best players in the world, but he's gone from being as tough as they come to 'being injured' multiple times a game from tackles.
