By Bulldog Drummond.
Arsenal have only played Slavia Praha twice in the entire history of history. We won the last time around 7-0 and then relaxed somewhat by playing out a goalless draw at their place.
This was way back in the days of Mr Wenger in the Champions League – the first match being on 23 October 2007. Here are the goals
https://www.facebook.com/Arsenal/videos/176103206611730
In relation to this game, it is perhaps not surprising that no one really wanted to risk injury by scoring goals in the return game which ended 0-0.
You might also like to note that we have collected a range of over 220 match videos on our sister site: the Arsenal History Society and you can find an index of them all on this page
Looking at Arsenal’s record what we find is that what seemed to be developing into a good run has rather fallen apart…
| Date | Game | Res | Score | Competition |
| 25 Feb 2021 | Arsenal v Benfica | W | 3-2 | Europa League |
| 28 Feb 2021 | Leicester City v Arsenal | W | 1-3 | Premier League |
| 06 Mar 2021 | Burnley v Arsenal | D | 1-1 | Premier League |
| 11 Mar 2021 | Olympiakos v Arsenal | W | 1-3 | Europa League |
| 14 Mar 2021 | Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur | W | 2-1 | Premier League |
| 18 Mar 2021 | Arsenal v Olympiakos | L | 0-1 | Europa League |
| 21 Mar 2021 | West Ham United v Arsenal | D | 3-3 | Premier League |
| 03 Apr 2021 | Arsenal v Liverpool | L | 0-3 | Premier League |
Four wins and a draw in five games, and then two defeats and a draw in three games. This is a bit like December / January with five wins and a draw followed by eight games with four defeats, two wins and two draws.
In terms of injuries, despite the wild ravings of some journalists, the data from Physioroom is not as bad as some suggest.
For the game tomorrow it looks in summary as if we have
Definitely out: David Luiz, Keiran Tierney
Maybe ok: Emile Smith Rowe, Granit Xhaka, Martin Odegaard
Seemingly fine: Bukayo Saka, seemingly less likely to play Granit Xhaka.
| Player | Reason | Further Detail | Potential Return | Condition | Status |
| David Luiz | Knee Injury | “David underwent a small procedure on his right knee. Expected to be back and available for selection in the upcoming weeks.” | 01/05/2021 | None | Ruled Out |
| Emile Smith Rowe | Thigh Injury | Apr 02: “Developed tightness in his right quad on international duty. Emile is being assessed ahead of Saturday’s match regarding his availability.” | 08/04/2021 | None | 100% |
| Granit Xhaka | Other | Apr 02: “Granit was unwell on Friday morning and missed today’s training session. He will be further assessed ahead of Saturday’s match.” | 08/04/2021 | None | 100% |
| Martin Odegaard | Ankle/Foot Injury | Apr 07: “Experiencing discomfort to his right ankle since being on international duty. Martin is being assessed ahead of Thursday’s match.” | 08/04/2021 | Late Fitness Test | 50% |
| Bukayo Saka | Thigh Injury | Apr 02: “Bukayo did not join up with England and has been receiving treatment over the past two weeks. He will be assessed ahead of Saturday’s match.” | 08/04/2021 | None | 100% |
| Kieran Tierney | Knee Injury | Apr 07: “Sustained ligament damage. Surgery will not be required and it’s hoped that Kieran will be back in full training within four to six weeks.” | No Return Date | None | Ruled Out |
Arsenal’s record in the Uefa Europa this season is
| Date | Match | Result | Score | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Oct 2020 | Rapid Wien v Arsenal | W | 1-2 | UEFA Europa League |
| 29 Oct 2020 | Arsenal v Dundalk | W | 3-0 | UEFA Europa League |
| 05 Nov 2020 | Arsenal v Molde | W | 4-1 | UEFA Europa League |
| 26 Nov 2020 | Molde v Arsenal | W | 0-3 | UEFA Europa League |
| 03 Dec 2020 | Arsenal v Rapid Wien | W | 4-1 | UEFA Europa League |
| 10 Dec 2020 | Dundalk v Arsenal | W | 2-4 | UEFA Europa League |
| 18 Feb 2021 | Benfica v Arsenal | D | 1-1 | UEFA Europa League |
| 25 Feb 2021 | Arsenal v Benfica | W | 3-2 | UEFA Europa League |
| 11 Mar 2021 | Olympiakos v Arsenal | W | 1-3 | UEFA Europa League |
| 18 Mar 2021 | Arsenal v Olympiakos | L | 0-1 | UEFA Europa League |
For a final word in this little post I looked to see WhoScored can offer. They predict a 1-1 draw and their predictions for Man of the Match are,
1 / 2 (equal) Saka and Odegaard
3 Jospeh Willock
4. Thomas Partey
Unfortunately Odegaard seems somewhat doubtful at 50% likely to play while Joe Willock plays for Newcastle at the moment. Better luck next time WhoScored.
More later…
F$ck…..