Arsenal travel to Czechia to face Slavia Prague with the pressure rising for both sides. The Gunners arrive after last week’s penalty shootout loss to fourth-tier Fleetwood Town in the Carabao Cup, while Slavia are still searching for a first Champions League win since 2007.
For Arsenal, the trip offers a quick chance to move on from an unexpected domestic setback. Mikel Arteta kept his reaction simple after the Fleetwood Town defeat, saying: “This is football,” and adding that “that’s the beauty” of the game. The result was a reminder that even a side with high ambitions can be knocked off course in a cup tie.
Slavia Prague have their own storyline. They are leading their domestic top flight, but they have only one point in this year’s league phase and the club’s long wait for a Champions League victory has drawn talk of a “Champions League curse.” Their last win in the competition came in 2007 against Steaua București.
What Slavia Prague need to do
David Zima was clear about the challenge ahead. “We’ve learned,” he said, before adding that Slavia “will be better tomorrow.” He also laid out the practical approach: “We need to surprise them, find some weaknesses.” His warning was just as direct: “If we let them play their game they will kill us.”
That captures the size of the task for Slavia. They know Arsenal are the stronger side on paper, but they also know the margins can change quickly in Europe. Exactly one year ago on Wednesday, Arsenal beat Slavia Prague 3–0, which gives the visitors a recent reference point and the hosts a reason to believe they need to be sharper from the start.
Arsenal, described in the source as last season’s finalists and as defending Premier League champions, will be expected to control the match. But after the Fleetwood Town loss, this trip carries extra scrutiny. A routine European night is never quite routine when one team is trying to reset and the other is trying to end a long winless run.
