Slavia Prague vs Lille Prediction: 28/8/2024

SK Slavia Prague, a seven-time champion of the Czech Republic and a dominant force in recent years, has been a consistent favorite for the Fortuna Liga title. However, the club has struggled to secure the championship over the past three years, reflecting a noticeable decline since the early 2020s.

Despite this, Slavia Prague has maintained a strong presence in European competitions, reaching the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa Conference League in 2022 and the UEFA Europa League in 2019 and 2021. Unlike their rivals Sparta Prague, who have not advanced past the group stage of the UEFA Champions League since 2008, Slavia Prague has more recent European success.

Currently, Slavia Prague is competing in the third round of the 2024-25 Champions League qualifiers, where they are set to face Union Saint-Gilloise after defeating Sparta Prague 3-1 and 1-0 in the previous rounds. However, they suffered a 2-0 defeat against Lille in the first leg of the playoffs. Slavia Prague currently sits in third place in their domestic league with 13 points, just behind Sparta Prague, who are undefeated with 15 points.

On the other hand, Lille has been enjoying a successful period, winning all their recent matches and looking strong in their bid to qualify for the Champions League group stages. They secured their spot in the playoffs by defeating Fenerbahce 2-1 and 1-1 in the third round, followed by a 2-0 victory over Slavia Prague in the first leg of the playoff.

Lille also started their Ligue 1 campaign with a 2-0 away win against Stade de Reims. The team’s star players, Jonathan David and Edon Zhegrova, remain with the club, both contributing to Lille’s win over Prague in the first leg. In that match, Lille displayed a dominant performance, especially in the second half. Jonathan David opened the scoring in the 52nd minute after a brilliant team move initiated by Zhegrova, who later doubled the lead with a solo effort in the 77th minute. Lille now heads into the return leg in Prague with a solid advantage.

Historically, Lille has been involved in high-scoring Champions League matches, with both teams finding the net in 13 of their last 17 games. Slavia Prague has also seen a similar pattern, with 12 of their last 15 top-flight matches featuring goals from both sides.

 

Prediction

Lille’s last 31 away games in the Champions League have all featured goals, reflecting their consistent attacking threat. Similarly, none of Slavia Prague’s last 18 matches in the competition have ended in a goalless draw. Given these trends, it seems likely that both teams will score in this match, with Slavia Prague possibly edging out Lille.

Prediction: Slavia Prague 2 : 1 Lille.