Will Xavi fire up the rotation machine?
FC Barcelona have once again missed out on the last 16 of the Champions League. Like last year, the Catalans failed to reach the group stage of the top flight and will now continue their international adventure in the qualifying round of the Europa League. It remains to be seen with which attitude the FCB will approach the “Cup of the Losers”.
The Catalans conclude the Champions League group stage this week with a match against Viktoria Pilsen. Unlike FCB, the Czech champions from Pilsen have lost every group game so far. It is quite possible that this negative trend will continue. For Viktoria Pilsen vs. Barcelona, we consider a tip on the guests from Catalonia on the 1X2 market to be without alternative.
In the first leg, FC Barcelona already won 5:1 against the Eastern Europeans. Because the upcoming match has no special significance for the Catalans, rotation in the group final in Pilsen is obvious. It therefore remains to be seen how a potential B eleven will perform against the Czech champions.
Viktoria Pilsen have only won one competitive match against a Spanish team in their entire history. That victory came at home against Atlético Madrid in 2012.
Viktoria Plzen – Statistics & current form
As expected, Viktoria Pilsen will finish the Champions League group stage in last place in Group C. The Eastern Europeans have yet to record a win after five group games and will thus bow out of the Champions League without a win. Nevertheless, the last group match against FC Barcelona is by no means insignificant.
Not only because a win against FCB would be prestigious, but also because the UEFA premium for it stands at almost three million euros. It is therefore enough incentive for the Czech representatives to play FC Barcelona in their best line-up. With a 3-0 win against Zlin, Viktoria Pilsen once again refuelled their self-confidence in the league before the CL group final against FCB.
It was the fourth league win in a row for head coach Michal Bilek’s team. Viktoria Pilsen thus underpinned their lead in the table and are still on course for the next championship in the Czech top flight. That the statistics in the league should not be overrated in view of the CL 2022/23 was shown by Pilsen’s results so far.
Weakest defence in CL 2022/23
Not only because Pilsen conceded five defeats in five group matches, but also because the Czech champions have already conceded 20 goals. This makes Viktoria Pilsen statistically the weakest defence in this year’s top flight. By comparison, Pilsen conceded “only” eight goals in 13 matchdays in the league.
It is unlikely that this miserable record will be improved against the FCB of all teams. The record against Spanish clubs also speaks against this. In a total of nine matches against teams from Spain, Viktoria Pilsen have a meagre record of 1-1-7. Three of the seven defeats were against FC Barcelona.
Head coach Michal Bilek will have to do without a total of eight players for the upcoming match against the Catalans. Among them is Jhon Mosquera, one of the most important players in the Czech representative’s attacking department. Not only because of the injured list, we refrain from odds on a home win between Viktoria Pilsen and Barcelona.
Predicted line-up of Viktoria Pilsen:
Stanek; Hejda, Pernica, Tijani; Havel, Kalvach, Bucha, Holik; Jirka, Bassey, Vlkanova
Last matches played by Viktoria Pilsen:
1st League
29/10/2022 – FC Zlín 0 – 3 Viktoria Pilsen
Champions League Grp. C
26/10/2022 – Inter Milan 4 – 0 Viktoria Plzen
1st League
22/10/2022 – Viktoria Plzen 3 – 1 Banik Ostrava
Cup
19/10/2022 – Hlucin 3 – 2 Viktoria Plzen
1st league
16/10/2022 – FK Jablonec 0 – 3 Viktoria Pilsen
Barcelona – Statistics & current form
FC Barcelona are back in the championship race. With the last-minute victory in Valencia last weekend, the Catalans reduced the gap to their arch-rivals from Madrid to one point and thus have a realistic chance of winning the league title again. Internationally, there was less to cheer about.
Xavi’s team has already bowed out of the top flight. After five match days, it is no longer possible for them to reach the last 16 of the Champions League. However, third place is a consolation for the FCB. The Catalans will continue their international adventure in the Europa League.
Because the last group match against Viktoria Pilsen has no special sporting significance, FCB coach Xavi will probably start the rotation machine. Robert Lewandowski got a rest after the recent league success and will not even be in the squad line-up against the Czech group rivals.
Does a Barca B eleven also deliver a scoring feast against Pilsen?
Nevertheless, the clear role of FC Barcelona as favourites is understandable, after all the Catalans have a promising line-up across the board. The youngsters in particular are eager for minutes. Therefore, it cannot be ruled out that the FCB – as in the first half of the season – will deliver a shooting match against Pilsen.
Barcelona have never lost a match against Czech teams in the Champions League in the entire history of the club. In seven matches, there were six wins and one draw. The FCB scored an average of almost three goals per match. In addition, all away matches in the Czech Republic were won.
If they can build on that record with another win on Tuesday night, Viktoria Plzen vs. Barcelona offers odds of 1.29 on bet 2.
Predicted line-up of Barcelona:
Ter Stegen; Bellerin, Pique, Alonso, Balde; Gavi, Kessie, Pedri; Raphinha, Torres, Fati
Last matches played by Barcelona:
La Liga
30/10/2022 – Valencia 0 – 1 FC Barcelona
Champions League Grp. C
27/10/2022 – FC Barcelona 0 – 3 Bayern München
La Liga
24/10/2022 – FC Barcelona 4 – 0 Athletic Bilbao
21/10/2022 – FC Barcelona 3 – 0 FC Villarreal
16/10/2022 – Real Madrid 3 – 1 FC Barcelona
Viktoria Plzen – Barcelona Direct comparison / H2H-balance
Viktoria Plzen and Barcelona meet for the fourth time overall on the international stage. The Catalans lead the direct comparison against their Czech group rivals with a record of 3-0-0. The FCB celebrated one of these three victories in the first leg of the current CL group stage 2022/23.
The Catalans won the first group duel against the Czech champions 5-1. Lewandowski scored a total of three of those five goals then.
Viktoria Plzen – Barcelona Tip
The FCB is winding down the group stage of the top division. Last week, the group elimination of the Catalans was already sealed, so the last group match against Pilsen now has no special significance. FCB coach Xavi even left Lewandowski out of his squad for the last group match in the CL after the recent last-minute win against Valencia.
Instead, several youngsters and reservists are represented, who will probably also be in the starting eleven against Viktoria Pilsen. Although the match is also insignificant for Viktoria Pilsen from a sporting point of view, there is a special incentive, at least from a financial point of view. In case of success against Barca, UEFA will pay out almost three million euros as a bonus. Nevertheless, between Viktoria Pilsen and Barcelona the betting odds on tip 1 are not our recommendation.
Tendentially, it is therefore obvious that Pilsen will start the match with the best possible line-up. With Mosquera, one of the most important offensive players in the ranks of the Eastern Europeans, missing, it nevertheless remains to be seen how much Viktoria Pilsen can offer.
We expect a comfortable win for the FCB and dare to predict Viktoria Pilsen vs. Barcelona at betting odds of 1.83 on “HT/FT: 2/2”. We are using five units to do so.
