By OkayGoal
Max Dowman can rewrite an Arsenal record in Prague on Wednesday night, and his three-match domestic ban makes the call easier, not harder.
Mikel Arteta takes Arsenal to the Fortuna Arena for matchday four of the Champions League league phase, with kick-off at 8pm UK time. The Gunners have seven points from their first three games after the 2-2 draw at Bayern Munich, while Slavia Prague sit 32nd of 36 with a single point and have now gone 18 UEFA matches without a win.
The timing matters. Arsenal host Hull City at the Emirates on Saturday, straight after a draining 1-0 win at Anfield, their first league win away to Liverpool since 2012. So the players who carried that result are the ones most likely to drop out here, and the one teenager who can’t play on Saturday is the obvious man to come in.
Bukayo Saka is still out with his quad injury, while Eberechi Eze sat on the bench for the whole game on Merseyside with a problem Arteta didn’t explain, saying only that it was “incredible” Eze made the squad at all. The good news is at the back: William Saliba trained fully with the group on Tuesday for the first time this season.
Arsenal predicted lineup vs Slavia Prague
Arsenal predicted lineup vs Slavia Prague (4-2-3-1): Raya; White, Konsa, Gabriel, Hincapie; Rice, Lewis-Skelly; Dowman, Odegaard, Eze; Gyokeres
Six changes from Anfield: Ben White, Piero Hincapie, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Max Dowman, Eze and Viktor Gyokeres come in, with Eze’s place depending on how he comes through Tuesday’s session.
David Raya: no reason to rotate
Raya was assured again at Anfield and Arsenal have conceded only twice in this season’s Champions League. There’s no case for changing the goalkeeper in a game Arsenal are expected to control.
Ben White: fresh legs on the right
Jurrien Timber had a hard afternoon against Bradley Barcola and was lucky to get away with a shirt pull on Alexander Isak. White was an unused substitute on Sunday, so he’s the natural swap with Hull three days later.
Ezri Konsa: the form centre-back
The summer signing from Aston Villa has kept five clean sheets in eight league appearances and was solid again at Anfield. With Saliba only just back in full training, Konsa keeps his place for now.
Gabriel Magalhaes: the leader stays
Gabriel played the full game at Anfield, but the Konsa partnership is the reason Arsenal have the best defensive record in the Premier League. Cristhian Mosquera is the option if Arteta wants to protect him, but we’d keep the pair together.
Piero Hincapie: Calafiori gets a breather
Riccardo Calafiori shook off bruised ribs to play 90 minutes against Liverpool and was excellent against Cody Gakpo. Hincapie came on late to see that game out and should get the start here, keeping Calafiori fresh for Hull.
Declan Rice: too important to leave out
Rice set up Havertz’s winner and was Arsenal’s best player on Sunday. He was a doubt before the weekend and shook it off, and against a side Arsenal need to control from the start, he’s the one midfielder we wouldn’t rest.
Myles Lewis-Skelly: earned his chance
Lewis-Skelly calmed things down after replacing Bruno Guimaraes on the hour at Anfield, and his partnership with Rice gives Arsenal more control in possession. The Rice and Bruno partnership hasn’t quite clicked yet. Martin Zubimendi was an unused substitute again, and with Zubimendi now ready to leave in January, it’s hard to see him getting this one.
Is Max Dowman going to start?
We think he will. Dowman was sent off at Fleetwood Town in the League Cup and the appeal failed, so he misses Liverpool, Hull and Newcastle in the Premier League. The ban covers domestic games only, which means Wednesday is his only chance to play in the next two and a half weeks.
There’s a record waiting for him as well. At 16 years and 308 days he would become Arsenal’s youngest ever Champions League starter, taking the mark Cesc Fabregas has held since he started against Panathinaikos on 20 October 2004, aged 17 years and 169 days. Fittingly, Dowman already became the competition’s youngest ever player when he came off the bench against Slavia last season, at 15 years and 308 days.
Max Dowman: right wing, with Madueke rested
Noni Madueke started at Anfield after an ankle scare and played the full 90 minutes, tiring as the game went on. With Saka missing, Dowman on the right gives Madueke the night off before Hull.
Martin Odegaard: the one who stays
The captain won the ball back to start the move for Havertz’s goal and is the one member of Sunday’s attacking line we expect to keep his place. Mikel Merino is the cover if Arteta wants to save him.
Eberechi Eze: if Tuesday goes well
Eze has two Champions League goals this season, against Lille and Bayern, so this is his competition. Christos Tzolis was lively on his first start since September, but he played 84 minutes straight after a hamstring injury, and asking him to go again three days later feels like a risk. If Eze isn’t right, Tzolis starts instead.
Viktor Gyokeres: a straight swap
Havertz needed his goal after a difficult couple of games and put in a big shift. Gyokeres had only a cameo at the end, so he’s the fresher option against a Slavia defence that has conceded seven goals in three Champions League games.
Bench, doubts and where Saliba fits
Saliba hasn’t played since injuring his back in France’s World Cup semi-final, but his return to full training is a big lift. We’d be surprised to see him start, and Arteta may give his view when he speaks to the press in Prague on Tuesday evening. A place on the bench would be the first step.
Timber, Calafiori, Bruno, Merino, Madueke, Havertz and Tzolis give Arteta plenty to change a game with, if needed. Saka is the only first-team player definitely missing.
Arsenal predicted lineup vs Slavia Prague (4-2-3-1): Raya; White, Konsa, Gabriel, Hincapie; Rice, Lewis-Skelly; Dowman, Odegaard, Eze; Gyokeres