Group H
Kick-off: 19:45 (BST)
Slavia Prague coach Karel Jarolim has vowed there will be no repeat of the seven-goal nightmare his side suffered at the hands of Arsenal when the teams meet again in Group H.
The Czech league leaders were thrashed 7-0 in London on Matchday 3 as Arsenal equalled the then record scoreline in UEFA Champions League history.
However, just two weeks later, Jarolim is confident his players will give a better account of themselves tonight.
“The result will be different,” he said. “We are playing at home in front of a sold-out stadium, there will be a great atmosphere and I believe the outcome will be more favourable for us.”
There is a return for 2005 tournament winner Vladimir Smicer, but with a calf injury sidelining captain Stanislav Vl?ek and with his ready-made replacement Ladislav Volesak suspended, Jarolím acknowledges that a win might be beyond his team.
“We know how strong Arsenal are, but we’ll be happy if our fans enjoy our performance,” said the 51-year-old. “Any points for us would be great.”
Arsenal need a point to reach the first knockout round, although Aleksandr Hleb and Cesc Fabregas are rested while Tomas Rosicky and Kolo Touré are omitted due to minor groin and calf problems – joining Robin van Persie (knee) and Philippe Senderos (back) on the sidelines.
“We want to qualify as quickly as possible and we can achieve that,” said manager Arsène Wenger. “At the moment I have not rotated the players too much because I did not want to take that chance. I wanted to give consistency and belief to the side. However, now we are in November, I will have to rotate a bit more because the first signs of fatigue could turn up.”
Gilberto will add experience to a side spearheaded by Theo Walcott and Eduardo da Silva.
Despite the changes, however, there is no question of Wenger taking the game lightly.
“We want to finish the job,” he said. “We have nine points, but that’s not enough to qualify. It means a lot to us. We want to use the fact we have always done well here and continue that,” added Wenger.
