Arsenal closing in on Champions League knockout spot after Slavia win
Arsenal are now just one win away from effectively guaranteeing their place in the Champions League knockout phase after a 2-1 victory away at Slavia Prague on Wednesday night.
Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyokeres put the Gunners in control before half time at the Fortuna Arena, with Gyokeres producing what was arguably his best all round performance since arriving from Sporting last summer. He scored one and assisted another as Arsenal dominated the opening 45 minutes, with Eberechi Eze and Mikel Merino also missing chances to extend the lead.
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The second half told a different story. Jindrich Trpisovsky made a double substitution at the break for Slavia and Arsenal failed to match their first half standards, leading to a nervy finish. Gabriel was forced into a last ditch clearance under his own crossbar, David Raya produced a brilliant save to tip a header onto the post, and the Gunners survived a VAR check for a possible Slavia penalty. Wiktor Nowak eventually pulled a goal back in second half stoppage time, but Arsenal held on for the win.
Where Arsenal stand in the table
The result moves Arsenal up to third in the 36 team Champions League table following defeats for Liverpool and Real Betis elsewhere. It is now three wins and a draw from Arsenal's opening four league phase fixtures, leaving them on 10 points from a possible 12, just two points behind the perfect records of holders Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid.
Mikel Arteta's side still have to face Mourinho's Real Madrid later in the league phase, but next welcome Borussia Dortmund to the Emirates Stadium before closing out their campaign against Real Betis and Sabah in the new year.
What qualification would mean
Under the current Champions League format, finishing in the top eight guarantees automatic progression to the last 16 and avoids an extra two legged play off round. Arsenal still have work to do to secure that outcome for a third consecutive season.
However, a top 24 finish, which secures qualification for the knockout phase overall, already looks within reach. As the Evening Standard notes, Club Brugge qualified with 11 points in the 2024-25 league phase, while nine points were enough for Benfica to scrape through in 2025-26.
With 10 points already secured, Arsenal could, based on those historical benchmarks, effectively guarantee their place in this season's knockout phase with victory over Dortmund on November 24, before turning attention to securing a bye straight into the round of 16.
Arsenal's focus now turns to that Dortmund fixture at the Emirates, a result that could go a long way towards shaping the rest of their European campaign.
