My guess is that Sparta Prague are pretty average.
My second guess is that this game could finish 0-0.
My third guess is that if there is a goal, Bendtner could score it.
But Rosicky will be pulling out all the stops to score in his hometown.
Sparta don’t have any outstanding players and they sold their centreback Jan Šimunek to Wolfsburg on Monday.Their coach Michal Bílek came over to watch Arsenal play Fulham on Sunday and whatever he thought of that game, and Arsenal’s late goals, he’ll know that his best chance of an upset is to win tonight.
However, their team of two years ago was the worst Sparta Prague side I’ve ever seen and I doubt if they’ve improved much. In two league games so far, Sparta have scored one goal. But in five away games in last season’s Champions League, Arsenal failed to score on three occasions.
Defender Tomas Repka, the former Fiorentina strongman who played against Arsenal at Wembley when Batistuta scored that wondergoal, is a veteran, 33 now. He played his last game for Czech Republic six years ago.
In the equivalent match last season in Zagreb, Fabregas scored two goals in a 3-0 victory. Almunia played in both those games because Lehmann was suspended. This year the German gets to play the Qualifying Round games.
It’s best not to take anything for granted in football and it impossible to say what will happen tonight. I remember 9/11/2001 and Mallorca and Uefa saying Wednesday’s games should be postponed but Tuesday’s should go ahead because fans had travelled.
Ashley Cole got sent off in 11 minutes for a crazy tackle on Albert Luque and the penalty was scored and Arsenal played 80 minutes with 10 men and lost 1-0. Anything can happen in a football game. It’s very hard to win when you have a penalty and a red card in 11 minutes.
Having said all that, I fancy Arsenal to keep a clean sheet in Prague and if they do that they should qualify at the Emirates.
Arsene says, “I think you will see a new William Gallas this season.”
It’s a big decision to make Gallas captain but it’s one way to get more out of him. That decision could prove to be a masterstroke. He needs to get more out of Gallas.
He also needs to get more out of Rosicky this season. Tonight is an emotional homecoming for Rosicky, whose father and brother played for Sparta Prague before he did. He was in their team at 17 and a regular at 18 and an international at 19.
This is a massive game in terms of status, finance and European credibility. Arsenal were finalists in 2006 and then knocked out in the round of 32 in 2007. They think they are one of Europe’s top eight clubs.
If they win this game it might clinch a couple of deals. If Morten Gamst Pedersen wants to play in the Champions League, he’ll be waiting to see if Arsenal qualify. The Norwegian left winger will also be waiting to see if Mark Hughes means it when he says he wouldn’t sell Morten for less than £16 million.
There have been whispers about Pedersen and Zagreb’s Luca Modric for several weeks. Modric is a right-footed flanker who scores a few goals but I’m not sure he’s any better than what Arsenal already have.
It’s 16 days till the transfer window closes. A lot of talent will be sold in the next two weeks. Royston Drenthe and Wesley Sneijder have gone to the Real Madrid and my mate Mitch thinks their vulgar president Calderon will try to swap Sneijder for Fabregas next summer.
I’m hoping Arsene signs two players with authority, not more teenagers, toddlers and embryos.
Probable line-ups : ARSENAL (4-4-1-1): Lehmann; Sagna, Gallas, Touré, Clichy; Eboué, Flamini, Fabregas, Rosicky; Hleb; Van Persie.
SPARTA PRAGUE (4-4-2): Postulka; Pospech; Kadlec, Repka, Kaldrabsky; Abraham, Husek, Kisel, Limbersky; Kulic, Dosek
LAST NIGHT Spurs lost 3-1 to Everton at White Hart Lane.
Let’s face it, Malbranque and Zokora are not good enough to play for Spurs. Neither are Stalteri, Gardner or Jenas. None of their midfielders is fit to lace Micky Hazard’s boots, let alone lace the boots of Ardiles, Archibald, Hoddle or Graham Roberts.
Of last night’s Spurs team, only Berbatov and Keane would have got a game for Keith Burkinshaw in 1984.
This a scary week for chairman Daniel Levy. Two games, two defeats, Spurs looking teamless. Although I never thought they would challenge for fourth place, I didn’t think Spurs could be as clueless as they are. I’d hire Paul Jewell now to get a vibe going.