Match Preview of the Europa League first leg quarterfinal against Slavia Praha.
PIRAEUS, GREECE - MARCH 11: (R) Mo Elneny celebrates after scoring the 3rd Arsenal goal with (L) Granit Xhaka during the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 First Leg match between Olympiacos and Arsenal at Karaiskakis Stadium on March 11, 2021 in Piraeus, Greece. Sporting stadiums around Europe remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Arsenal will seek to bounce back after losing 3-0 to Liverpool over the weekend when they host Slavia Prague on Thursday night at 8PM UK time.
Arsenal will first play against the Czech League leaders at the Emirates stadium before traveling to the Czech republic next week.
Last time out, the Gunners lost at home to Olympiacos 1-0 and have endured narrow victories on aggregate, 4-3 against Benfica and 3-2 against Olympiacos.
This time there’s no room for error because Slavia are not to be underestimated or at least not on the football pitch.
They have eliminated two British teams on their route to the quarterfinals. First they knocked out Leicester City 2-0 on aggregate, Leicester are currently fourteen points ahead of Arsenal, then they defeated Rangers 3-1 on aggregate.
Arsenal will be without Kieran Tierney for 4-6 weeks after he picked up a knee injury against Liverpool as well as David Luiz who had to undergo surgery on his knee.
Bukayo Saka, Smith-Rowe and Granit Xhaka all participated in training and could return to bolster the team if they pass the late fitness tests.
Here is the starting XI we think Arteta will field on Thursday.
Predicted starting lineup to play against Slavia Prague.
The Czech republic champions are unbeaten in their last 21 games and their last defeat was in December 2020. This will be a tough test for Arsenal as they’ll have to win the game and stop the visitors from scoring an away goal if they are to progress to the next round.
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