Key events
Team news
Slavia Prague (3-4-3): Markovic,; Vlcek, Chaloupek, Zima; Moses, Zafeiris, Sadilek, Mbodji; Provod, Chory, Sanyang.
Subs: Stanek, Rezek, Saracevic, Hashioka, Kusej, Chytil, Boril, Doudera, Toula, Prekop, Jelinek, Kolisek.
Arsenal (4-3-3): Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie; Norgaard, Rice, Nwaneri; Saka, Merino, Trossard.
Subs: Setford, Mosquera, White, Eze, Calafiori, Lewis-Skelly, Dowman, Harriman-Annous, Rojas, Sagoe Junior.
Preamble
Since losing at Anfield on the last day of August, Arsenal have won 10 out of 11 games in all competitions. They’ve won their last eight matches on the bounce, and their last seven wins have come without conceding a single goal. The last time they achieved eight clean sheets in a row, in 1903, Arsenal were a second-tier side based in Woolwich.
Standing in the way of history tonight are Slavia Prague, who sit 28th on the big Champions League ladder with two points and two goals in three games; their visitors are in third place with three wins from three (and no goals conceded, naturally). The Czech champions are also pretty solid defensively, conceding eight goals in 14 games during an unbeaten start to their league campaign.
Look, I’ve been in the live blogging game for a few years now, and I can’t recall many conclusions as foregone as this one: Arsenal are surely destined to win this game two- or three-nil, rarely venturing out of second gear before a tougher run of fixtures – Sunderland (A), Spurs (H), Bayern (H) and Chelsea (A) – further tests their resolve.
Still, this is football and you can never be certain. Any given Tuesday (early) evening, and all of that. Kick-off at the Eden Arena is at 5.45pm GMT; team news to follow.
