Slavia Prague v Barcelona – Line-ups, stats and preview
Slavia Prague take on Barcelona this coming Wednesday in the Champions League. Read our in-depth preview here
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Match Preview for Slavia Prague v Barcelona
Barcelona will look to strengthen their push for a top-eight finish in the Champions League table when they travel to face Slavia Prague on Wednesday night.
The Catalan side sit 15th in the league phase, just two points adrift of eighth-placed Atletico Madrid, while Slavia Prague are struggling near the foot of the standings in 33rd position.
Slavia Prague head into the contest having not played a competitive fixture for over a month, with their last non-friendly outing coming on December 13.
Since then, the Czech champions have played a series of friendlies against Basel, Karlsruher and Brann, but their lack of competitive rhythm has done little to ease what has been a difficult Champions League campaign.
Jindrich Trpisovsky’s side are still without a win in the league phase, having collected just three points from six matches, leaving them four points adrift of the playoff places and with little margin for error.
Slavia were beaten 3-0 by Tottenham in their most recent Champions League outing and have scored just twice in the competition so far.
Barcelona, meanwhile, arrive with a record of three wins, one draw and two defeats from their six Champions League fixtures, leaving them firmly in contention for automatic qualification.
Hansi Flick’s side know that victories over Slavia Prague and Copenhagen in their remaining matches would give them a strong chance of finishing inside the top eight.
However, the Blaugrana travel to Prague on the back of a disappointing 2-1 La Liga defeat to Real Sociedad, a result that cut their lead at the top of the domestic table to just one point.
Team news for Slavia Prague v Barcelona
Slavia Prague have no fresh injury or suspension concerns, despite their lengthy absence from competitive action.
Matous Srb and Dominik Javorcek remain long-term absentees, but Trpisovsky otherwise has a full-strength squad available.
Mojmir Chytil is expected to lead the line after scoring eight goals in all competitions this season, while Lukas Provod, who has contributed five goals and 10 assists, will again be central to the hosts’ attacking play.
Tomas Chory may begin the contest on the bench despite his nine-goal tally this term.
Barcelona will be without Lamine Yamal, who is suspended after accumulating yellow cards in the competition.
Gavi and Andreas Christensen are both sidelined with knee injuries, while Raphinha will need to be assessed after missing the defeat to Real Sociedad due to a thigh problem.
Marcus Rashford could feature on the left-hand side of attack, while Fermin Lopez is pushing for a starting role in the final third.
Ferran Torres is expected to start at centre-forward, potentially ahead of Robert Lewandowski.
Expected line-ups for Slavia Prague v Barcelona
Slavia Prague: Stanek; Holes, Chaloupek, Ogbu, Zima; Doudera, Moses, Provod, Sadilek, Sanyang; Chytil
Barcelona: J Garcia; Kounde, Cubarsi, E Garcia, Balde; Pedri, De Jong; Fermin, Raphinha, Rashford; F Torres
How to watch Slavia Prague v Barcelona: TV channel, online stream
Slavia Prague v Barcelona will take place on Wednesday evening, with kick-off scheduled for 8pm (UK time).
The match will be broadcast live in the UK on TNT Sports, with coverage available via TNT Sports 3.
Live streaming will be available through discovery+ on compatible devices.
The stats for Slavia Prague v Barcelona
- Slavia Prague are winless in six Champions League matches this season
- The Czech side have scored just two goals in the league phase
- Barcelona sit two points outside the Champions League top eight
- The Blaugrana have won seven of their last eight matches against Czech opposition
- Barcelona have won just one of their last five away Champions League fixtures
Prediction
Slavia Prague
Barcelona
Slavia Prague’s lack of attacking output in the Champions League makes an upset difficult to envisage, particularly against a Barcelona side under pressure to respond after a domestic setback.
With quality in abundance across the pitch, the visitors should have enough to secure a away victory and keep their top-eight hopes in their own hands
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