Do the home-strong Czechs make it all clear in the first leg?

This week the ball rolls in the UEFA Europa League for the first time. Qualifying only starts in the third round and there are only seven games on the agenda, five games on the champions’ route and two games on the cup winners and runners-up route. One of these two matches will take place in the Czech capital. In the duel between traditional club Slavia Prague and Dnipro-1, odds of only 1.20 are offered on the Czech team advancing. Accordingly, the starting position for the first leg in the Fortuna Arena is clear.

For the home side from the Czech Republic it is their first appearance on the international stage this year, for the visitors from Ukraine the Europa League is only the consolation prize. The Ukrainian runners-up started in the qualifiers for the top flight, but were defeated by Greek representatives Panathinaikos Athens. If the prediction of promotion for the Ukrainians in Slavia Prague vs. Dnipro-1 is indeed correct, it would come to an all-Ukrainian duel against Zorya Luhansk in the playoffs. The loser of this knockout match will play in the Conference League playoffs and will meet the loser of the Lech Poznan vs. Spartak Trnava match there.

Slavia Prague – Statistics & current form

Despite an identical number of points and a goal difference that was 24 goals better, the seven-time Czech champions had to settle for the vice-championship. City rivals Sparta Prague, of all teams, were able to celebrate, because in the Czech Republic the better placing in the regular season counts in the event of a points tie. For the second time in a row, Jindrich Trpisovsky’s team finished second. What was impressive last season was the consistency in the home stadium.

The Fortuna Arena was a true fortress, as Slavia Prague scored 52 points out of a possible 54. Only against Hradec Kralove did the team draw, the other games were all won. This impressive home record is certainly a strong argument for only offering odds around 1.40 for a home win in Slavia Prague vs. Dnipro-1.

Convincing start to the season

The Czechs started the new season without any major changes and can draw a very positive conclusion after three match days in the Fortuna League. The preparation already went according to plan and Slavia Prague only celebrated victories. The first competitive games continued in the same vein, with nine points from three games, a perfect start. The attack was particularly convincing, scoring seven goals and brimming with self-confidence.

Internationally, Slavia Prague failed in the group stage of the Conference League last year, but were able to prove their home strength in the course of the season. An impressive home record, a perfect start to the season and a qualitatively stronger squad are clear arguments that justify the home side’s role as favourites on Thursday evening.

Predicted line-up of Slavia Prague:
Kolar – Ogbu, Holes, Vicek – Provod, Zafeiris, Oscar Dorley, Doudera – Lingr, Jurecka, van Buren

Dnipro-1 – Statistics & current form

In Ukraine, most fans are only familiar with the two top teams Shakhtyor Donetsk and Dynamo Kiev. Last season, however, the still young club SK Dnipro-1 also made a splash on the international stage. The club was only founded in 2017 and has been playing in the top league since 2019. After two seventh-place finishes, Dnipro-1 qualified for Europe for the first time with a third-place finish (2021/22) and won its first vice-championship the previous year.

Top striker departs

The club also made its debut in the Europa League qualifiers, but was defeated by AEK Larnaka and played in the Conference League from then on. In contrast to Slavia Prague, however, the club survived the group stage and was only eliminated again in the knockout matches against Cypriot representative AEK Larnaka. Without home advantage – due to the situation at home – the performance of Oleksandr Kucher’s team was worthy of all honour.

A repeat of this success is hard to imagine in the current season. Compared to last year, the Ukrainians are missing their life insurance in the offensive. The 26-year-old attacker Artem Dovbyk (29 goals, eight assists last year) left the club after the elimination in the top flight and moved to Spain to FC Girona. Kucher’s team will not be able to compensate for his departure, which represents a serious weakening. New foreign players are still very difficult to convince to move to Ukraine.

In the first match after his departure, the team won its first league match against FK Polissya. It was an extremely fortunate victory, as Dnipro-1 only scored the decisive goal in the 91st minute of the game. A win for self-confidence, but based on the performance shown, not an argument that would justify a prediction of a surprise in Slavia Prague against Dnipro-1.

Predicted line-up of Dnipro-1:
Kinareykin – Kapliyenko, Sarapiy, Adamyuk, Pasich – Blanco, Babenko – Rubchynski, Pikhayonok, Miroshnichenko – Tretyakov

Slavia Prague – Dnipro-1 Direct comparison / H2H-balance

The UEFA Europa League third round qualifying clash between Slavia Prague and Dnipro-1 will be the first meeting between the two sides. The long-established Czech club have played four competitive matches against Ukrainian teams in their history. In 2000/01, they were eliminated by Shakhtyor Donetsk in the CL qualifiers, and in 2018/19 they were defeated by Dynamo Kiev. For the Ukrainian visitors, the first leg will be their first ever meeting with a team from the Czech Republic.

Slavia Prague – Dnipro-1 Tip

Slavia may not have good memories of teams from Ukraine in the past, but in this knockout duel a failure would indeed be a big surprise. The omens for the clash between Slavia Prague and Dnipro-1 clearly underline the forecast for the runners-up from the Czech Republic. Due to the impressive home record, it would be no surprise if a preliminary decision is already made in this duel on Thursday evening.

The Czechs have made an extremely strong start to the season and have impressed with their refreshing attacking football. Despite the departure of their top striker, the visitors from Ukraine are a team that is also looking for offensive solutions, but have clear deficits in the defensive area. In two games against Panathinaikos Athens, they conceded no less than five goals. All in all, there is a lot to be said not only for a clear home victory, but especially for many goals. That’s why we recommend betting six units on Slavia Prague vs. Dnipro-1 when betting on the over 2.5