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Slavia Prague will host Arsenal at Fortuna Arena on Wednesday evening as the Champions League league phase reaches its fourth round. The match kicks off at 21:00 CET on November 4.
Slavia has collected one point from its opening three fixtures. Arsenal has seven and travels to Prague after an important Premier League victory at Liverpool.
Verdict: Arsenal -1.5 handicap
Best odds: 106/125
Bookmaker: 1xBet
Slavia could hardly have asked for a better domestic result before this match.
Saturday’s 5-0 victory at Jablonec brought two goals from Mubarak Suleiman, with Emmanuel Ayaosi, Ange N’Guessan and Danijel Sturm also scoring. Four of those goals came after halftime as Slavia turned a narrow advantage into a comfortable win.
That performance should help confidence, particularly among the younger attacking players. Carrying the same threat into a match against Arsenal will be considerably more difficult.
Slavia’s European campaign began with a 3-2 home defeat against Lens and a 2-0 loss at Sabah. A 2-2 draw at Fenerbahce finally brought a point, with Jindrich Trpisovsky’s side recovering after conceding twice in the opening 11 minutes.
The comeback showed determination, but another poor start would leave Slavia with a difficult task here. Arsenal has the defensive organization to protect a lead and the quality to punish a team that has to commit more players forward.
Slavia’s best chance may come from making the opening stages uncomfortable. Pressure on Arsenal’s first pass, a strong challenge for second balls and good deliveries from set pieces could help bring the crowd into the game.
Suleiman’s form also gives the home side an attacking outlet. Slavia needs players who can carry the ball away from pressure, because spending the entire evening defending around its own penalty area would invite trouble.
Seven goals conceded in three European matches remain a concern, even after the weekend clean sheet.
Slavia has several fitness concerns ahead of Arsenal’s visit.
Lukas Provod missed the win over Jablonec and remains a doubt. His availability matters because his passing and experience would help Slavia move the ball forward under pressure.
N’Guessan also needs assessment after being forced off during Saturday’s match. Ivan Schranz has been struggling with illness, leaving his availability uncertain.
Tomas Holes and David Zima should be important in organizing the defense. Michal Sadilek and David Moses will need to provide protection in front of them while choosing carefully when to join the attack.
Suleiman should retain a prominent role after his two goals. Wiktor Nowak offers another attacking option, with Mojmir Chytil available if Trpisovsky wants a different approach up front.
Arsenal arrives after a result that required patience, concentration and a willingness to defend for long periods.
Kai Havertz scored the only goal in Sunday’s 1-0 victory at Liverpool, finishing from Declan Rice’s delivery. The win moved Arsenal three points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League.
Liverpool applied pressure and hit the woodwork, but none of its 17 attempts was on target. Arsenal did enough to protect the advantage despite spending parts of the match under sustained pressure.
That was a strong response to the disappointment of its midweek League Cup elimination against Fleetwood.
Arsenal has also put together a solid start in Europe, beating Napoli 1-0 and Lille 3-0 before drawing 2-2 at Bayern Munich.
The recent European away record provides further encouragement. Arsenal is unbeaten in nine away Champions League matches and has scored in its last 14 away fixtures in the competition.
Slavia, meanwhile, has gone 18 European matches without a victory. That difference in recent experience matters when assessing whether the home side can stay competitive for the full 90 minutes.
Mikel Arteta may make changes after Sunday’s demanding match. Arsenal still has enough quality to control possession and make Slavia defend repeated attacks.
An early goal would help the handicap selection, but Arsenal also has the patience to keep working if the opening stages are tight.
Bukayo Saka remains unavailable with a quad injury, while William Saliba is still recovering from a back problem.
Rice, Riccardo Calafiori, Noni Madueke and Christos Tzolis all returned to action against Liverpool after fitness concerns. Their availability gives Arteta more options during a busy schedule.
Eberechi Eze requires assessment after Arteta revealed that the attacker had been dealing with a fitness issue. He was an unused substitute at Anfield.
Max Dowman is available for this match because his three-game suspension applies only to domestic competitions. He offers a possible rotation option in attack.
Ezri Konsa could continue alongside Gabriel in central defense, with David Raya behind them. Havertz’s winning goal strengthens his case to retain a starting place, although Arteta must also consider recovery after the Liverpool match.
Slavia’s weekend performance gives the home side something positive to build on. Suleiman is in scoring form, and the atmosphere in Prague should make the opening stages competitive.
Arsenal has already shown that it can handle difficult away matches. Its defensive discipline at Liverpool and unbeaten start to the European campaign provide stronger evidence than Slavia’s domestic result alone.
The main question is whether Arsenal can turn control into a clear winning margin. Against a defense that has conceded at least twice in every league-phase match, that looks achievable.
Arsenal to win by at least two goals is the preferred selection.
Verdict: Arsenal -1.5 handicap
Best odds: 106/125
Bookmaker: 1xBet
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