Copyright standard
Arsenal will be without Martin Zubimendi for their Champions League clash against Slavia Prague next month. The Gunners continued their perfect start to the League Phase of this season’s competition by producing a statement win over Spanish outfit Atletico Madrid on Tuesday night. Goals from Gabriel, Gabriel Martinelli and a brace from Viktor Gyokeres - ending his drought in the process - sealed an emphatic 4-0 win for the Gunners at the Emirates Stadium. That result puts Mikel Arteta’s side on nine points after three games, and along with Inter Milan, are yet to concede a goal in the competition. Unfortunately for the north London outfit, the one negative from an otherwise flawless night was the yellow card shown to Zubimendi in the 38th minute. With that being his third booking in the Champions League, he must now serve a one-game suspension. As a result, Zubimendi will be unavailable for selection when Arsenal travel to Prague to face the Czech champions on Tuesday, November 4, 2025. Fortunately for the Gunners, they do have strength in depth to cope with the Spaniard’s absence as summer signing Christian Norgaard is the most obvious option to start on matchday four. While Zubimendi is out of the next European fixture, his midfield partner Declan Rice - also shown yellow cards in each of his first two Champions League appearances of the season - is a suspension risk. As yellow cards in the Champions League are not reset until after the quarter-final stage, it means another booking for Rice against Slavia Prague would see him banned for the showdown against Bayern Munich at the Emirates next month.
