Slavia Prague midfielder David Doudera has admitted that Arsenal’s form and quality have left him so impressed that he even builds his FIFA team around them.
Speaking ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League meeting in Prague, Doudera said it was almost impossible to identify any weakness in Mikel Arteta’s side, who arrive in the Czech capital having won nine consecutive matches in all competitions and kept seven successive clean sheets.
“It’s a very difficult task – they have almost no weaknesses,” Doudera said. “They have the form, it comes easy to them, it is very difficult to find anything to surprise them with. If you want to attack, they use it to their benefit and strike.
“I play FIFA with my brother and I buy all the Arsenal players for my team, because they are incredible.”
Slavia, unbeaten domestically and yet to concede in their last five league matches, are preparing for a contest that manager Jindřich Trpišovský described as their toughest of the season. The Czech coach echoed his midfielder’s admiration for Arsenal, insisting that their balance and physicality made them an unusually complete side.
“If I had to say what the dangers are of this team I would be here for more than two hours,” Trpišovský said. “They have games under control, they have a lot of technical quality with big, fast, strong players. Inter were strong at set-pieces but Arsenal are stronger.”
Arsenal travel without Viktor Gyökeres, who is sidelined after being forced off in the first half of Saturday’s win over Burnley. Martin Zubimendi has recovered from his minor knock but is unavailable through suspension, while Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Noni Madueke, Gabriel Jesus, and Martin Ødegaard remain out injured. Kepa Arrizabalaga has also not travelled, although it is not clear what the issue there is.
The fixture marks Arsenal’s first visit to Slavia since their emphatic 4-0 win in the 2021 Europa League quarter-final, when Bukayo Saka was among the scorers. They have faced Czech opponents 10 times in Europe without defeat, conceding just once in their last eight encounters.
Slavia, meanwhile, are still searching for their first win in this season’s Champions League, though their home record in continental competition remains respectable. They have lost only three of their last 14 European fixtures in Prague.
For Doudera, however, the focus is clear: “They are the best team we could play right now. We just have to enjoy it.”