Slavia Prague have not won any of their last 18 games in UEFA competition, and they will face Arsenal on Wednesday night without the 6ft 7in striker their manager has frozen out for good.
The Czech champions host Arsenal in matchday four of the Champions League league phase, and on paper this is as kind as a European away trip gets. The Gunners are unbeaten in the competition with seven points from nine, while Slavia Prague sit 32nd of 36 with a single point.
Arsenal also arrive on a high. Kai Havertz’s 16th-minute goal from a Declan Rice cross won it 1-0 at Liverpool on Sunday, their first Premier League win at Anfield in 14 years, and it moved them three points clear at the top. We broke that game down in our Liverpool 0-1 Arsenal report.
When is Slavia Prague vs Arsenal?
Date: Wednesday 4 November 2026
Kick-off: 8pm UK time (9pm in Prague)
Venue: Fortuna Arena, Prague
Competition: Champions League, league phase, matchday four
How have both sides started in Europe?
Arsenal opened with a 1-0 win at Napoli and a 3-0 win over Lille, then drew 2-2 at Bayern Munich on 21 October, when Rice scored late to rescue a point. That leaves them seventh, and their two goals conceded is the joint-best defensive record in the competition, level with Stuttgart and PSV Eindhoven.
Slavia have had a rougher ride. They lost 3-2 to Lens and 2-0 at Sabah, then got their first point by coming from 2-0 down in Istanbul. Oguz Aydin and Mason Greenwood had Fenerbahce two up inside 11 minutes, Lukáš Provod pulled one back, and substitute Pavel Kačor equalised in the 90th minute. Seven goals conceded in three games tells you where the gaps are.
Domestically, though, Jindřich Trpišovský’s side are flying. They are five games unbeaten in all competitions, have won their last two, and beat Jablonec 5-0 on Saturday to stay seven points clear at the top of the Czech First League.
Slavia Prague vs Arsenal team news
Slavia Prague
The big story is Tomáš Chorý. The striker was sent off in the 55th minute of a 0-0 draw with Hradec Králové for an obscene gesture at the referee, and Trpišovský has banished him. He did not travel to Istanbul and is not expected to play for the club again.
There are fitness worries too. Experienced winger Ivan Schranz has been ill for weeks, Provod missed the Jablonec win and is a doubt, and defender Ange N’Guessan came off with an unspecified injury last time out.
Arsenal
Bukayo Saka (quad) is out, with early December the likeliest return date. William Saliba is reported to be back in full training after his back injury, but Wednesday is expected to come too soon for him. We looked at what his comeback means for the back line in our piece on Ezri Konsa and Saliba.
The fresh concern is Eberechi Eze, an unused substitute at Anfield. Mikel Arteta said afterwards: “We had an issue with Ebs as well, it was incredible that he was in the squad today.” He gave no more detail, and the next update should come after Tuesday’s open training session.
The good news is Max Dowman. His appeal against the red card at Fleetwood Town was rejected, but the three-match ban covers domestic games only, so the 16-year-old is free to play in Prague. Rice, Christos Tzolis, Noni Madueke and Riccardo Calafiori all shook off knocks to face Liverpool.
Where can Arsenal hurt them?
Slavia have shipped seven goals in three European games, and they have been opened up far too easily for a side that is so dominant at home. Without Chorý, they lose their obvious target up front, which makes it harder for them to relieve pressure with a long ball when Arsenal pin them back.
The danger for Arteta is complacency rather than quality. His second string drew 1-1 with fourth-tier Fleetwood in the Carabao Cup and went out 5-3 on penalties, so wholesale changes are a risk. Hull City visit the Emirates on Saturday before the international break, though, and some rotation makes sense. The trick is to keep the spine of the side together and freshen up the edges.
History is on Arsenal’s side. They won 3-0 in Prague in last season’s league phase, with a Saka penalty and two goals from Mikel Merino, and Slavia have not beaten them in five meetings. The 7-0 in 2007 is still Arsenal’s joint-biggest win in European football.
Who decides this one?
Max Dowman
This is the only game the teenager can play before the break, and with Saka out, the right side is his to take. Dowman has the dribbling to pull a back three apart, and Slavia’s wing-backs will be stretched if he keeps getting at them one against one.
Viktor Gyokeres
Viktor Gyokeres has had to be patient. He made his first league start of the season against Everton on 24 October and set up Konsa’s opener, scored his first goal of the campaign at Fleetwood three days later, and came on for Havertz in the 84th minute at Anfield. A night against a defence that has leaked seven goals is a good chance to add to it.
Lukáš Provod
If Provod is fit, he is Slavia’s biggest threat. He scored in Istanbul and is the player most likely to make something happen from very little. If he misses out, the hosts lose a lot of their spark in the final third.
Slavia Prague vs Arsenal predicted lineups
Slavia Prague possible starting lineup (3-4-2-1): Markovič; Vlček, Holeš, Zima; Suleiman, Moses, Sadílek, Kubiak; Ayaosi, Nowak; Šturm
Arsenal possible starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Raya; White, Konsa, Gabriel, Hincapie; Rice, Lewis-Skelly; Dowman, Odegaard, Madueke; Gyokeres
Jakub Markovič was in goal in Istanbul, and Tomáš Holeš looks the natural swap if N’Guessan does not recover. For Arsenal, our reasons for every pick are in our Arsenal predicted lineup vs Slavia Prague.
Verdict: three points and a clean sheet
Slavia will be up for it in front of their own fans, and their form at home is real. But they are without their striker, possibly without their best attacker, and they have not won a European game in 18 attempts. Arsenal’s defence has given away two goals in three Champions League games against far better sides than this.
If Arteta gets the balance of his changes right, the Gooners should leave Prague with another win and set themselves up nicely for Hull on Saturday.
Our prediction: Slavia Prague 0-2 Arsenal
