Barcelona will look to push for a top-eight finish with a win against Slavia Praha away from home in the penultimate round of fixtures.
Winless Slavia Praha would love to cause an upset and secure their first win against Barcelona at home on Wednesday. But that certainly won’t be that easy. Even though the Catalan giants have been a touch inconsistent in the UEFA Champions League, they are still expected to ease past the Czech outfit.
The home team are 33rd on the table with just three points in their six outings. They are four points behind the team in 24th, which means they will have to win both their remaining games to stand a chance of making it to the knockouts.
Slavia Praha suffered a 3-0 hammering at the hands of Tottenham in their last Champions League outing, and they will certainly be hoping for a better outing against Barcelona. While their domestic form has been great, going up against a European giant is never easy.
Meanwhile, the visitors are 15th in the Champions League table with 10 points in their six outings (W3 D1 L2). Since they are two points behind the team in eighth, the Catalan giants need to win both their remaining fixtures to secure a spot straight into the round of 16.
While they secured a 2-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in their last European outing and have been on an incredible run of form, their winning streak came to an end against Real Sociedad last time out. As a result, Hansi Flick’s men will be hoping to get things back on track here. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
Slavia Praha
Slavia Praha, who have not been involved in a competitive match for over a month, are heading into this fixture without any fresh injury concerns or suspension. But long-term absentees Matous Srb (ankle) and Dominik Javorcek (knee) do remain on the sidelines.
The home team will line up in a 4-4-2 formation, where Jindrich Stanek will be in goal. Tomas Holes and David Zima are expected to be the full-backs, while Stepan Chaloupek will pair up with Igoh Ogbu in the heart of the defence.
David Doudera and Youssoupha Sanyang will feature outwide on the flanks. They will look to contribute on both ends of the pitch. Meanwhile, David Moses, Lukas Provod and Michal Sadilek will feature in the centre of the park.
The trio will look to ensure the Barcelona midfielders do not dominate the ball too deep in their half. Finally, Mojmir Chytil will lead the line for Slavia Praha against Barcelona at the Fortuna Arena on Wednesday.
Probable Lineup (4-5-1): Stanek; Holes, Chaloupek, Ogbu, Zima; Doudera, Moses, Provod, Sadilek, Sanyang; Chytil
Barcelona
Gavi (knee) and Andreas Christensen (knee) remain on the sidelines for the visitors, while Lamine Yamal is suspended following a milestone yellow in their last European outing. Raphinha will undergo a late fitness test to determine his availability for this round of fixtures.
The visitors will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, where Joan Garcia will feature in goal. Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde will feature as the full-backs, while Pau Cubarsi will pair up with Eric Garcia in the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Pedri and Frenkie De Jong will form the double pivot in the centre of the pitch. They will not only protect the Barcelona backline, but also look to dictate the pace of the game against Slavia Praha.
Fermin Lopez could take up the number ten role, with Marcus Rashford and Swedish sensation Roony Bardghji on the flanks. Meanwhile, Ferran Torres could start this one ahead of Robert Lewandowski as the central striker for the away side.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Joan Garcia; Kounde, Cubarsi, Eric Garcia, Balde; Pedri, de Jong; Bardghji, Fermin, Rashford; Ferran Torres
Key Stats
- This will be the third meeting between Slavia Praha and Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League.
- The last time the two teams met was during the 2019/20 Champions League group stage, where Barcelona were held to a draw at home but secured a 2-1 win away.
- After a run of 11 straight wins across competitions, Barcelona suffered a defeat to Real Sociedad last time out.
- The Catalan giants have not lost any of their last eight matches against Czech opposition.
- Slavia Praha have only won two out of their 16 European fixtures against Spanish teams.
Player to Watch
Roony Bardghji
With Lamine Yamal suspended, there are high chances that Hansi Flick will once again hand Roony Bardghji a start and given the kind of form he has been in, the 20-year-old will certainly look to make it count. The Swedish international, who joined Barcelona last summer, has six goal contributions in just over 400 minutes of first-team action.
Five of those goal contributions have come in his last three starts for the club. Every time Flick has handed him an extended run, Bardghji has made it count, and it won’t be much of a surprise if he does it again.
Prediction
Slavia Praha 0-4 Barcelona
Barcelona head into this away fixture knowing that nothing less than a win will keep their hopes of a top-eight finish firmly alive. Despite a slight wobble in their last outing, Hansi Flick’s men still possess far too much quality across the pitch, and they should be able to dictate the tempo against a Slavia Praha side that has struggled to cope with elite European opposition this season.
While the hosts will be eager to make home advantage count and finally get off the mark in this campaign, Barcelona’s superior control in midfield and attacking depth should prove decisive. If the visitors find an early breakthrough, the game could quickly open up, paving the way for a comfortable win. The Hard Tackle predicts a dominant 4-0 win for the Catalan giants.
