Arsenal will be looking to revamp their lacklustre season when they take on Slavia Prague for the Europa League quarter-finals. The match schedules for Thursday at the Emirates Stadium with kickoff at 11 pm.
The Gunners scraped off a 3-2 win over Olympiacos to book a spot in the last eight, whereas Slavia Prague dumped Rangers out of the tournament. However, the tie is overshadowed by a lot of controversies.
Many fans could have taken their 1-0 home loss to Olympiacos, given they have a three-goal lead in the first leg to make it to the quarter-finals. However, there was a lot of uproar after their dismal performance against Liverpool that ended in a 3-0 loss.
The match was mainly by the opponents with individual mistakes by Holding, Gabriel and Bernd Leno, leading to three goals conceded in the second half. It was an unimpressive display with only one shot on target.
Even though inconsistency remains a significant hassle for Mikel Arteta, they won’t take their feet on the gear against the Czech giants. The side has gone 13 games without a clean sheet in all competitions since their 0-0 draw to Manchester United.
Slavia Prague’s win over Rangers was mauled with a lot of controversy after racism row between Glen Kamara, and Ondrej Kudela overcame the win. Authorities are looking into the case with Kudela suspended for this tie.
Arsenal vs Slavia Prague Head to Head
Both sides have two games against each other, with Arsenal taking one win and one draw. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
Arsenal 3-0 Liverpool
West Ham 3-3 Arsenal
Arsenal 0-1 Olympiacos
Arsenal 2-1 Tottenham
Olympiacos 1-3 Arsenal
Away
FC Brno 0-0 Prague
Slavia Praha 4-0 Opava
Rangers 0-2 Praha
Boleslav 0-3 Praha
Slavia Praha 1-1 Rangers
Arsenal Team News
The injury list keeps piling up with David Luiz ruled out for the rest of the season after knee surgery. Kieran Tierney came off the first half with an injury and remains on the sidelines for 4-6 weeks. Both Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe must overcome late fitness tests, with Granit Xhaka coming into midfield.
Slavia Prague Team News
Kudela remains suspended ahead of this clash, with racism allegations showering his career. There is a shortage of centre back options with Simon Deli and David Hovorka unavailable. However, highly rated star Abdallah Sima is back from suspension.
Prediction and Odds
Arsenal will be under pressure to make up for their dismal midweek clash; thus, we expect a low fight win.
Arsenal Win
Goals Under 3.5
First to Score: Arsenal