Arsenal’s focus returns to the Champions League on Tuesday night as we look to cement our place in the top 8 however, the squad is getting a little thin and rotation is likely still required so this one could get a bit tight. Slavia Prague have not set the world alight in their upcoming Champions League fixtures so on paper alone, Arsenal should be clear favourites for this one. Digging a bit deeper, Arsenal have a significant injury situation in the forward lines and have been putting a lot into recent fixtures and could find themselves a bit stretched for this one, which will level the playing field significantly.
Areas of encouragement
I don’t take much stock into historic records, but for those who do, we have an excellent record against Slavia Prague down the years and against Czech teams in general. We’ve been managing games really well lately, keeping opponents at arms length and protecting really well, so if they manage to breach the Slavia Prague defence, they will be hopeful of shutting out their attack and claiming all three points.
Areas of concern
Slavia Prague have an excellent home record and will be full of confidence going into this one, so despite their indifferent start to the Champions League campaign, this is going to be a real test. Arsenal’s forward line has also been decimated by injuries lately so the wide forwards are really going to need to step up to get us over the line.
What I’d love to see
Andre Harriman-Annous did enough in the Brighton game, against Premier League defenders, to start this one and that’s something I’d really love to see. This might be due to how much I don’t want to see the alternative, but even so, I think the youngster is a solid option and looks ready for the challenge. I’d also love to see a bit more attacking play and bravery from Arsenal and really try to put Slavia Prague to the sword in open play. Might be asking a bit much given the players we’re missing, we’ll see!
What I’d hate to see
Same as the above point really as I really don’t want to see Mikel Merino starting this one. The second half against Burnley we really struggled to get out as those runs in behind have become an important asset in getting us up the pitch and that just isn’t an option with Merino upfront. Mikel Merino is a fantastic footballer…in midfield! The Spaniard did brilliantly last year when we were lacking options upfront, but we moved on now and there are other options, such as Leandro Trossard, who are better suited to the lone striker role than Merino.
Lineup and Team News
The injuries (and suspensions) stacking up and we need to rotate as well, to keep things fresh, so this one is anyone’s guess! The back 5 should stay relatively the same although I expect William Saliba to get a bit of a rest here and likewise with Riccardo Calafiori at left back. With Martin Zubimendi suspended, Christian Norgaard should start his first Champions League in the number 6 position, with Mikel Merino and Eberechi Eze ahead of him. Declan Rice was insane at the weekend, but he can’t be expected to do that every game and he’s one booking away from missing the Bayern Munich tie, so I think he’ll sit this one out. It might just be me trying to will thing one into existence, but I think Andre Harriman-Annous will lead the line with Merino reverting to his more natural midfield position and Saka and Trossard continuing on the wings, with Eze in the number 10 position.
Predicted lineup:
Raya
Timber
Mosquera
Gabriel
Lewis-Skelly
Norgaard
Merino
Eze
Saka
Harriman-Annous
Trossard
Substitutes:
Setford
Arrizabalaga
White
Hincapie
Saliba
Calafiori
Rice
Nwaneri
Dowman