Slavia Prague vs Arsenal: Slavia’s 19-Year UCL Wait Meets Unbeatable Arsenal Side
by Geoffrey Ejiga | by Cydias Aujard
The win that came right before the 7-0
Slavia’s last Champions League victory was a 2-1 home win over Steaua Bucharest in September 2007, their first game in the competition.
Weeks later, on 23 October 2007, Arsenal beat them 7-0 at the Emirates, equalling the record winning margin in Champions League history.
The drought began that night, and it has never ended. Counting this season’s first three games, it now stands at 22 matches (eight draws and 14 defeats).
But what deepens the story is just how this season has gone. Slavia have been fiercely competitive, but still can’t crack the 19-year curse.
2026-27 | Opponent | Result | How it slipped |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Sep | Lens (H) | 2-3 | Ten men from the 49th minute, still 2-1 up in the 88th, then conceded in the 90+1 and 90+3 |
| 13 Oct | Sabah (A) | 0-2 | Handed Sabah the first Champions League win in the club’s history |
| 20 Oct | Fenerbahçe (A) | 2-2 | Two down inside 11 minutes, fought back, equalised in the 90th minute |
Prague have managed just one point from three games, and are now set to face last season’s finalist, and their toughest opponents so far. Ensure to see our expert’s Slavia Prague vs Arsenal prediction first.
Arsenal are the one opponent Slavia have never solved
The history is as one-sided as the scoreline from 2007 suggests. In five meetings, Arsenal have won three and drawn two:
- 7-0 and 0-0 in 2007,
- 1-1 and 4-0 in the 2021 Europa League quarter-final, and
- 3-0 in Prague a year ago.
Slavia have scored exactly once, through Tomáš Holeš’s 93rd-minute header at the Emirates. Arsenal, meanwhile, have scored 15.
And this season, the Gunners have taken seven points from three, beating Napoli 1-0, Lille 3-0 and drawing 2-2 at Bayern. Even at home, it looks like another long night for Červenobílí.
Šturm and Ødegaard: who writes the next chapter
Danijel Šturm (Slavia). Slavia’s clearest answer to the drought so far. He scored twice against Lens, providing the only retaliation in the 3-2 defeat. Šturm was still also the reason Slavia were 2-1 up with ten men. If anyone breaks Slavia’s long wait for a goal against Arsenal that matters, he is the likeliest.
Martin Ødegaard (Arsenal). The captain’s winner at Napoli was his first Champions League goal since March 2025, and, per Opta, three of his six goals in the competition have come from outside the box. Against a side that can sit deep, his shooting is the thing that may just open the game up against a desperate opponent.
Our take
Slavia are better than a 22-game winless run suggests, and the Fenerbahçe comeback proves they will not fold. But the story of their games against Arsenal has never been about heart.
The difference has always been class, and the gap is as wide as ever with Arteta’s reigning PL Champions and UCL finalist. Unsurprisingly, betting sites have the Gunners pegged for an easy win.
Yet, Slavia are still capable of danger, so they may frustrate Arsenal for a half before the visitors settle in.
