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Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal will have its task cut out as they welcome an inspired Slavia Prague to the Emirates Stadium for the first leg of the Europa League’s quarter-final tie Friday.
Arsenal are in a woeful run of games as they come into the fixture after a 3-0 loss to Liverpool in the weekend. The game was just the reflection of the various number of issues faced by Arteta at the club, despite spending almost a couple of years at the London side.
Arteta also saw his club come short in a 1-0 home defeat to Olympiacos in the Round of 16. However, a victory in the first leg at Olympiacos secured the pathway of the Gunners to yet another possible title.
Arsenal sit 10th in the Premier League table, going through one of the most underwhelming domestic seasons in their history so far. The Gunners only have a possible Europa League title as their only way to continue their stay in European competitions in the upcoming football season.
The tie against Prague will be a challenge for Arsenal since the Gunners have gone 13 games without a clean sheet in all competitions since a 0-0 draw with Manchester United in January. The 1-0 loss at home to Olympiacos in the Round of 16 also broke yet another Arsenal record. The first time the Gunners have failed to find the back of the net for since a Europa League loss to BATE in 2019.
Slavia Prague’s journey to the quarter-final clash was brimmed with off the field controversy. Glen Kamara and Ondrej Kudela were involved in a racist altercation. However, the racist incident did not turn into a blockade for the Czech side. Prague struck through Peter Olayinka and Nicolae Stanciu to book the flight to London for the quarter-final.
Jindrich Tripiovsky’s side are on a 21-game unbeaten run across all competitions and are yet to face defeat since the beginning of the new year. Prague dropped points in the league against Zbrojovka Brno on the weekend before the Arsenal fixture.
The goalless draw against Brno also meant that it was Prague’s fourth clean-sheet in a row. Prague’s previous trip to the Emirates Stadium saw them witness a 7-0 defeat in the 2007-08 Champions League group stage, in which Cesc Fabregas, Theo Walcott and Nicklas Bendtner found the back of the net.
Arsenal will miss out on several significant names against Prague. David Luiz, Kieran Tierney, Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, and Granit Xhaka are all in doubt for the tie.
Prague lack centre-back options, with Simon Delhi and David Hovorka unavailable due to fitness issues. Matyas Vagner was sent off in the previous game in the domestic league.
Players to look out for:
Martin Odegaard: The Real Madrid Loanee is one of the most versatile playmakers in Europe. The Norweigan primarily plays as a central midfielder but can also shift to both the wings if required. Odegaard has constantly been featuring in Arteta’s plans and will be tasked with creating openings for the Gunners against Prague.
Alexandre Lacazette: The French-Guadeloupe striker has been in fine form in the Premier League so far. Lacazette has found the back of the net on 11 occasions and assisted two times. Just like Odegaard, Lacazette also plays on both the wings and can be used in multiple roles. He will be under the spotlight on Friday and is expected to find the back of the net on at least one instance.
Abdallah Sima: The Senegalese right-winger is in some inspired form in the current season. Sima has scored 11 goals and made five assists so far in the domestic league and will be slated to continue the same form into the Europa League. Sima can be used as a primary striker and can also shift to the left flank if required.
Peter Olayinka: The Nigerian scored six goals and made three assists so far in the Czech League. Partnering with Sima upfront, Olayinka will be tasked to find gaps in the Arsenal defence and score goals.
Prediction
Arsenal will have the obvious advantage of playing under home conditions, but an inspired form of Slavia Prague will pose a massive challenge to Arteta’s men. Prague have been scoring in regular games and have shown strong defensive resilience in their recent fixtures. The game will go down to the wire, but Arsenal are expected to sneak a slender lead into the second leg.
