The Gunners must score in Prague to keep UEL hopes alive


Arsenal come up against Slavia Prague in a must-win Europa League tie for the Gunners.

Having suffered a late equaliser to Slavia Prague last week, the Londoners will be trailing on away goals going into the second leg.

Latest - Mikel Arteta under pressure as the Gunners attempt to finish a difficult season on a high

"When you think about the future without Arsenal in a European competition, it doesn't feel right," said Bernd Leno ahead of Thursday's Europa League quarter-final against Slavia Prague.

There are plenty who would agree with him - Arsenal have not failed to qualify for Europe since the 1994/95 campaign - but that future could become their reality if they cannot find a way past the Czech champions at the Sinobo Stadium.

Winning the competition is now Arsenal's only realistic route into the Champions League and their current Premier League standing means even the Europa League may prove beyond them otherwise.

Arsenal & Slavia Prague Form Guide

With no defeats in all competitions since their final Europa League group stage game back on 10 December, Slavia Prague is without doubt the form side coming into the second leg.

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ENGLISH HISTORY - Chelsea endured a topsy-turvy 5-3 aggregate win over Slavia Prague at this stage two years ago

(Credit: cfcunoffical)

Plus, Cervenobili just defeated local rivals and the team in second place in the Czech First League, Sparta Prague, 2-0 so confidence will be high.

Couple that with the away goal they snatched at the Emirates last week, and you can expect Jindrich Tripisovsky's side to camp on the back foot, and look to hit the Gunners on the counter.

Form: WDDWWW
Last time out: Slavia Prague 2-0 Sparta Prague, 11/04
Domestic standings: 1st in Czech First League

As for Arsenal, form has been so up and down this term that all efforts are now focused on the Europa League - with question marks over Mikel Arteta's job likely to arise if they are dumped out the competition.

A 3-0 win over Premier League bottom club Sheffield United will settle the Gunners down a touch - their first win since 14 March - but a trip to Prague is a very different propostion.

The goalscoring exploits of Alexandre Lacazette and a returning Gabriel Martinelli brings some much-needed confidence to the Arsenal camp.

Form: WDLDLWW
Last time out: Sheffield United 0-3 Arsenal, 11/04
Domestic standings: 9th in Premier League

Laca unleashed

Yes, it may have been against a Sheffield United side waiting to be relegated, but Mikel Arteta will be pleased to see Alexandre Lacazette bag a further two goals - meaning he has bagged five in his last six league games.

With Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang suffering from form with no goals since 6 March - all signs point towards the manager giving the nod to Lacazette in attack.

He is then likely to go with Willian and Bukayo Saka in the wide areas and Emile Smith-Rowe as number 10.

Fixture details

The second leg takes place at the Sinobo Stadium in Prague on Thursday, 15 April at 3pm ET / 8pm BST.

Remember that Slavia have an away goal, meaning that a 0-0 will take them through the semis.

1-1 will see the game go into extra time, with any other score draw taking Arsenal through.

Whichever side makes it through to the semi-finals will play either Villarreal or Dinamo Zagreb (Agg: 1-0) on Thursday, 29 April, with the second leg set to take place on Thursday, 6 May.

How to watch Arsenal vs Slavia Prague

If you are in the UK, BT Sport is the only place to watch the UEFA Europa League action as it happens.

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ROAD TO GDANSK: The 2021 UEFA Europa League final will be held in Poland

Credit: UEFA

Slavia Prague vs Arsenal coverage commences at 7:15pm on BT Sport 1 on Thursday, 15 April.

All times UK.

How to watch BT Sport

You can purchase a Monthly Pass which gets you 30 days of BT Sport, contract-free.

The Monthly Pass will cost you £25 - you don’t need BT broadband, and you can watch instantly using our app or web player.

Your Monthly Pass will renew automatically but you can cancel it whenever you want.

With exclusive matches all the way to the final, you’ll be able to watch on TV, online and on the BT Sport app for mobiles, tablets, smart TVs and games consoles.

How to watch Europa League matches in the USA

Every Europa League match will be shown on CBS’s streaming service: Paramount+.

Select games, including the Europa League final, will also be on CBS television and CBS Sports Network.

On top of the live matches, CBS will also have additional programming, prime-time replays to suit a US audience and much more in an exciting development for American fans of the sport.

Paramount+ is available in two different packages.

If you’re not fazed by a few online ads it’s just $5.99 a month, but if you want to ditch the pop-ups it will cost you $9.99 a month.

Both will get you access to a range of shows, movies and sports.

Paramount+ is offering a 7-day free trial to get you started!

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