Last season, Arsenal came so close but yet so far from winning its first Champions League title, losing the final in a penalty shootout against Paris Saint-Germain in May. It’s a long way from the 2026/27 final in early June, but the Gunners surely have that date circled on their calendars.
First, though, Arsenal has to qualify for the knockout stages of the competition, and a win in the 3 p.m. ET (9 p.m. local) away match against Slavia Prague would bring the Gunners to 10 points, which would’ve been enough to qualify for the knockout playoffs in 2025/26.
Arsenal is a -390 favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook to claim all three points, and the Stitched Ones are +1000. There are +550 odds that the teams will share the points.
Below, I’ll break down this clash of red and white squads and provide my favorite bet.
Slavia Prague vs. Arsenal Best Bet:
- Arsenal to Win in Shutout (-105): Slavia Prague has had an impressive attack in the Czech First League, and it has been decent enough going forward in the Champions League, but it hasn’t been very clinical in the final third, converting its shots into goals at the 10th-lowest rate. The Stitched Ones would need to play perfectly to score against the Gunners, who have basically been perfect defensively in every competition, their 3-0 Premier League loss to Brighton aside. Arsenal already has nine clean-sheet wins this season in 15 matches.
Slavia Prague vs. Arsenal prediction, pick
Slavia Prague is still undefeated in the Czech First League, as it holds a seven-point advantage over Sigma Olomouc atop the table after 13 matches in search of its third consecutive title. However, after opening the season with three straight wins, the Stitched Ones have started to cool down as of late, drawing two of their last three matches in the league and losing to both Lens and Sabah before picking up a road point against Fenerbahçe in the Champions League. Similarly, the Gunners sit atop the Premier League with 24 points after nine matches, but they dropped two points on the road against Bayern Münich in the UCL and were dumped out of the Carabao Cup against fourth-tier Fleetwood Town. Still, with the exception of a 3-0 loss to Brighton right before the first international break and that Fleetwood result, Arsenal has looked pretty much inevitable.
Overall, Slavia Prague has had a fairly impressive attack, at least in domestic competition. Six different Stitched Ones have scored at least twice in the First League, including three players (Wiktor Nowak, Mojmír Chytil, and Emmanuel Ayaosi) who have recorded five goals each. In the Champions League, it’s been mostly Danijel Šturm, who netted both goals in a defeat to Lens. All in all, Slavia Prague has managed some pretty solid chances in the Champions League, ranking a solid 18th in xG and 13th in shots through the first three matches. It’s also produced the most xG from set pieces and managed the 16th-most touches in the box, although it has been among the least accurate passing teams in the competition. Defensively, the Stitched Ones have limited opponents to chances worth the 14th-fewest xG despite allowing the ninth-most shots, as they’ve forced the third-lowest average quality. Despite losing a majority of both its ground and aerial duels, Slavia Prague has also registered among the most interceptions, blocks, and clearances. Goalkeeper Jakob Markovic has been a slight weakness, as the Stitched Ones have allowed 2.81 more goals than expected in the Champions League, but he’s collected six clean sheets in 11 starts in domestic competition, so it’s not all bad.
The Gunners need no introduction. They’ve also been pretty well-rounded going forward, as Martin Ødegaard, Kai Havertz, and the currently-injured Bukayo Saka have all scored four goals each in all competitions and five other players (including 16-year-old wunderkind Max Dowman) have chipped in with two apiece. So far this Champions League campaign, Arsenal has produced the sixth-most xG worth of chances from the 10th-most shots and 11th-most on target, although it’s only netted six times. The Gunners have also been one of the best passing teams in the competition, so they’ve managed among the most touches in the box while making among the fewest errors leading to a shot. That’s Arsenal’s weaker side of the ball; defensively, it has been expectedly spectacular, allowing the fifth-fewest xG, the fewest goals, the fewest shots, and second-fewest shots on target in the UCL despite playing one of the world’s best front lines in Die Roten. The Gunners have yet to concede a single shot from a set piece, and they’ve won both ground and aerial duels at among the highest rates. Their high press has also forced the most high turnovers, and they’ve fouled infrequently. Arsenal’s basically perfect back line means David Raya rarely gets tested, but he’s no slouch, either; he just finished second in Yashin Trophy voting after winning the Premier League Golden Glove in 2025/26.
This Slavia Prague team is decent, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see it pick up its first Champions League win since 2007 at some point during this League Phase campaign. However, it won’t happen this evening against the Gunners, as no defense in the world is better than Arsenal’s, especially with William Saliba potentially set to make his season debut. It won’t necessarily be pretty, as the Gunners have only picked up three wins this season by more than two goals and needed an eight-minute flurry in the second half to do it against Lille, but the Stitched Ones are too sloppy with their passes to withstand Arsenal’s press. They won’t challenge Raya, and the Gunners will walk away with another clean sheet win.
