Slavia Prague vs Arsenal preview: Saka out, Saliba back in the squad

Slavia Prague host Arsenal at the Fortuna Arena (often still called the Eden Arena) on Wednesday, 4 November (20:00 GMT, 21:00 CET) in round 4 of the Champions League league phase. It is a rematch exactly one year to the day after Arsenal won 3-0 in Prague – and once again the two sides arrive from opposite ends of the table: Arsenal unbeaten with seven points, Slavia with a single point and still searching for their first win of the campaign.

Where the two sides stand

Arsenal opened their European campaign with a 1-0 win away at Napoli, beat Lille 3-0 and then drew 2-2 at Bayern Munich, the first time they conceded in this season's competition. Slavia lost 3-2 to Lens and 2-0 at Sabah before taking their first point in a 2-2 draw at Fenerbahçe. They have conceded seven goals in three matches.

At home, both clubs lead their leagues. Slavia are seven points clear at the top of the Czech First League and come into the game off a 5-0 win over Jablonec. Arsenal sit top of the Premier League table with 24 points from nine matches, three ahead of Manchester City, after Kai Havertz's 16th-minute goal settled Sunday's 1-0 win at Liverpool.

	Slavia Prague	Arsenal
Champions League (after 3)	1 pt (W0 D1 L2), goals 4-7	7 pts (W2 D1 L0), goals 6-2
League	Czech First League: 1st, 7 pts clear	Premier League: 1st, 24 pts after 9
Last league match	5-0 win over Jablonec	Liverpool 0-1 Arsenal (Havertz 16')
Coach	Jindřich Trpišovský	Mikel Arteta

Team news

Slavia have several gaps. Forward Ivan Schranz is out for weeks with illness, while Lukáš Provod and Ange N'Guessan are doubts. Striker Tomáš Chorý has been removed from the squad after the club disciplined him for an obscene gesture towards a referee last month, and is not expected to feature. Danijel Šturm, with two goals the team's top scorer in this season's competition, is set to lead the line alongside Nowak.

For Arsenal, Bukayo Saka is still out with a thigh (quadriceps) problem. William Saliba trained with the squad on Tuesday after a back issue and travelled to Prague, but Arteta has left open whether he will play. Eberechi Eze is a doubt with a fitness problem the coach confirmed without giving details. Teenager Max Dowman is suspended for three domestic matches but is available in Europe and could start; Declan Rice and Noni Madueke are back after knocks.

Possible line-ups (according to Yahoo Sports and K24):

• Slavia: Domchak – Vlček, Holeš, Zima – Suleiman, Moses, Sadílek, Kubiak – Ayaosi, Šturm – Nowak
• Arsenal: Raya – White, Konsa, Gabriel, Hincapié – Lewis-Skelly, Rice – Dowman, Ødegaard, Eze – Gyökeres

A record Slavia want to end

Slavia have not won a Champions League match since 2007, a run that Last Word on Sports puts at 22 games. Last season's meeting showed the gap: Arsenal won 3-0 at the same ground on 4 November 2025. The referee on Wednesday is Tobias Stieler of Germany, with Sören Storks on VAR.

Our take

Arsenal are the clear favourites, but Slavia's home ground is not an easy place: Trpišovský's side play with a back three, wing-backs who push high and a lot of physical pressing, and they are unbeaten in 13 league games. Arsenal have conceded only twice in Europe, and with Saka missing, Ødegaard, Dowman and Eze carry the creative load behind Viktor Gyökeres. A win would put Arsenal on ten points and firmly into the race for the top eight; for Slavia, even a draw would keep their hopes of a play-off place alive.

Follow Slavia Prague vs Arsenal live on EZCO, with the Champions League table updated in real time.