Arsenal must grasp Europa League opportunity with both hands following Slavia Prague draw

Héctor Bellerín

Arsenal must grasp Europa League opportunity with both hands following Slavia Prague draw

By Jacob Newbury

A place in Europe’s elite is still on offer for Mikel Arteta’s men. With aspirations of reaching the top four in the Premier League all but over, the UEFA Europa League still provides Arsenal with a realistic shot at returning to the crème de la crème of club competition.

A quarter-final match-up against Slavia Prague is an enticing prospect, not least because the winners will face Dinamo Zagreb or Villarreal - not the strongest sides left in the draw.

But avoiding Manchester United, Ajax and Roma in the quarter-finals and potentially the last four is fortunate - and Arsenal must capitalise.

Of course, Slavia Prague should not be taken lightly. The Czech side have left Leicester City and Rangers in their tracks. But for Arsenal, the draw signals a real opportunity to reach a second UEFA Europa League final in three years.

Arsenal faced Slavia Prague twice in the 2007/08 UEFA Champions League group stage. While the away fixture finished a goalless draw, the reverse match was a goal frenzy for Arsene Wenger’s side. Theo Walcott and Cesc Fabregas both bagged braces on the night, in a 7-0 win.


Gunners must improve

Over the two legs against Olympiakos we saw two sides of Arteta’s Arsenal. In Greece it was effective and clinical, but at home for the third game in a row against the Greek side, the Gunners were sloppy and lackadaisical.

And Arteta pointed out in his post-match comments following the 1-0 defeat to Olympiakos that the standard of the competition has never been higher.

“The level is really high in the Europa League at the moment,” he said. “It's not like ten years ago I think. I think the level is much higher so let's wait for the draw.

"It was a difficult opponent in this round. Benfica was a really difficult opponent as well. They're all going to be."

Slavia Prague

The lack of fluidity against Olympiakos was evident. Perhaps the players thought the job was already done? Which would have been terribly naive given how proceedings played out against the Greeks last season.

The standard of play will need to improve against the Czech champions. This is something Arteta is wary of, having stated: “If we want to have any chance in the competition, we have to do things better than that.”


What can Arsenal expect?

A side full of confidence. Slavia Prague are currently unbeaten in the Czech First League, winning 19 of their 23 games this season. The defending champions only lost two league games last season, too.

After the disappointment of falling to FC Midtjylland in the Champions League play-off round earlier in the campaign, they have been a difficult side to beat. But a chink in their armour could be their away form in Europe.

Jindřich Trpišovský’s men lost two of their three trips away in the group stage, a 3-1 defeat to Israeli side Hapoel Be'er Sheva and a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Bayer Leverkusen.

But they improved in the knockout phase, beating both Leicester and Rangers away from home after draws in the first legs.

Senegalese forward Abdallah Sima has top-scored for Slavia Prague with four goals in the competition. Romanian midfielder Nicolae Stanciu and Nigerian Peter Olayinka have netted three times - both of whom were on the scoresheet at Ibrox.


Stick or twist?

With some big games coming up in the Premier League, including West Ham United away and Liverpool at home, a qualifying spot for next season’s Europa League is still up for grabs.

However, anything short of a win at the London Stadium will be costly. If so, Arteta should put all his eggs into one basket and ensure his strongest XI are rested ahead of the Europa League quarter-finals.

That means resting key players for the Liverpool game on April 4, with the visit of Slavia Prague four days later. It is a big call considering the current Premier League champions are also fighting for European scraps.

But we know from the past week, Arteta is not afraid to make huge decisions.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

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