The plane departed today for Prague without our main protaganists of the home match Hleb, Rosicky, Cesc and Kolo so the rest of the squad will need to have an assured performance to enable the 1 point to be gained that sees the Gooners safely through to the knockout stages, if we get the win then it will ensure top spot in the league and will theoretically give us an easier draw.

The match against Slavia Prague should be a defining moment for us, if Arsene decides to go for the win or get the minimum of a draw from the depleted squad that has travelled it will give Arsene the comfort of being able to rest some players for the rest of the Champions League matches and introduce some of our talanted youngsters to Champions League football for the remaining fixtures whilst also saving our players for our Premiership fixtures as we enter the early stages of our notorious annual bumpy journey through November.

Slavia Prague will not want to be humiliated again like they were on October 23rd at Ashburton Grove when they were on the receiving end of the Champions League record breaking 7 - 0 demolition when we first met a couple of weeks ago.

Slavia and are bound to try to keep the score down to a minimum this time which could play into our hands tactically as i believe they will not press forward too much to avoid a repeat of the 7 goal goalfest, however with no Hleb or Cesc who scored three of the goals between them that night it could turn out to be the Theo, Big Ade and Bentdner show

This is the right match for Adebayor to do his stuff, he is suffering for a goal drought and needs a couple of goals to get his confidence back in front of goal and to continue it in the Premiership where we need his goals as Cesc cannot be reiled on to provide goals as often as he is and Adebayor needs to take the pressure off the rest of the team and to get his shooting boots on as it was noticable that as Arsenal's main striker who played in that highscoring game Adebayor did not manage to find the net himself although he worked well for the team with his unselfish running, however he is there to score goals and running off the ball will not be good enough for the latter stages of the tournament.

Prediction

Slavia Prague 1 - 3 Arsenal