Can Saint Gilloise feel the home strength of Slavia?
Two Prague clubs will have the opportunity to secure their ticket to the reformed 36-team Champions League qualifying competition this season. On paper, Slavia Prague certainly have the tougher draw. The “Červenobílí” will face an ambitious club from Belgium in the third round. Nevertheless, lower odds are being offered on a home win ahead of the first leg between Slavia Prague and Royale Union SG at the Fortuna Arena on Wednesday evening
With regard to the Slavia Prague vs Royale Union SG prediction for the outcome of the match, it must be taken into account that both clubs have had an extremely successful season on the international stage. The Czechs reached the last 16 of the UEFA Europa League, while the visitors from Brussels made it through to the last 16 of the Conference League. Among others, “Les Unionistes” also eliminated Eintracht Frankfurt
Since the teams are on a similar level in terms of quality and are likely to meet on equal terms, form on the day could be a decisive factor. Home advantage also plays a major role, as the team of long-time head coach Jindrich Trpisovsky is traditionally a force in its own stadium.
If you want to place a bet on a home win against this backdrop, Oddset offers odds of up to 1.93 for the host team to win between Slavia Prague and Royale Union SG.
Slavia Prague – Statistics & current form
It is now five years since Slavia Prague had the chance to compete with the best club teams in Europe. Led by current Premier League professionals Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal (both West Ham United), the then Czech champions finished last in a group with FC Barcelona, Inter Milan and Borussia Dortmund. Nevertheless, memories of the 2019/20 season are still very much alive in the minds of the “Slavistes”, who have also set their sights extremely high for the current season.
On the national stage, the runners-up want to catch city rivals Sparta Prague again and win the national title for the first time since 2021. Internationally, the focus is on Champions League qualification, although Sportovní klub Slavia Praha, which is considered more of a bourgeois club for intellectuals in the capital, would certainly have no objections to reaching the round of 16 in the Europa League again. In 2023/24, only AC Milan turned out to be too big a team in the last 16 of the continent’s second most important club competition
Slavia Prague are a force at home – both nationally and internationally
One of the main reasons why we tend to predict a home win in the clash between Slavia Prague and Royale Union SG has to do with the last international season. Of a total of six European Cup matches played at home, the Red & Whites lost just one – 3-1 to AC Milan, after losing the first leg 4-2. The rest of their home record is outstanding: five games, five wins and 17 goals to 0. And this is despite the fact that the Czechs have had to deal with challenging opponents such as AS Roma (2:0) and Servette Geneva (4:0).
Another advantage over the visitors is that they are a well-coordinated team that has been working with the same coach for over six years and has therefore made a good start to the new season. There was no major squad upheaval in the summer; instead, Prague have strengthened their squad selectively and retained almost all of their key players.
After a great preparation with many clear victories against passable opponents (Rapid Vienna, Slask Wroclaw), the first three league games also yielded seven points. The Trpisovsky team have yet to concede a goal. The “Sešívaní” have won four home games in a row this season, scoring 16 goals to 0. Home strength is the absolute trump card and reason enough to take a look at the odds on the hosts’ success ahead of Slavia Prague’s first leg against Royale Union SG.
Predicted Slavia Prague line-up:
Kinsky – Holes, Ogbu, Boril – Masopust, Wallem, Dorley, Diouf – Schranz, Chytil, Provod
Royale Union SG – Statistics & current form
Royale Union Saint Gilloise have made a name for themselves on the international stage in recent years. Their development since promotion to the country’s top flight in 2020/21 has been remarkable. In 2022/23, they reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League under Karel Geraerts. With German coach Alexander Blessin on the sidelines, the team won the Belgian Cup and finished runners-up in the previous season. However, because the Stuttgart-born coach decided to move to FC St. Pauli in the Bundesliga to succeed Fabian Hürzeler, another coach is already in charge in Brussels.
Sebastien Pocognoli, an ex-professional who at 37 is still at the start of his coaching career and previously coached Belgium’s U18 national team, has taken over. The start to his tenure has not been entirely smooth, as two key players have left the club in the form of Sebastian Nilsson, who moved to direct rivals Brugge, and attacking player Mohamed Amoura, who was loaned out to VfL Wolfsburg. In return, primarily talented players were signed who want to take the next steps in their careers. In terms of the squad, “Les Unionistes” have definitely not gotten any better
Is CL qualification still too early for Royale Union Saint Gilloise?
From the point of view of the new coach and the board of directors, it is all the more pleasing that the start to the season could be described as a sporting success. Despite their footballing inferiority and a clear lack of chances, Royale Union SG won the national Super Cup final against FC Brugge. In the league, the team picked up four points from two games, although the performances here should not yet be described as “brilliant”. For example, the runners-up had to settle for a 0-0 draw at underdog and newly promoted Deventer.
Although the team from Brussels were often on top form in the pre-season, especially in opposing stadiums, we believe that the current status quo of the blue and yellows still provides too little evidence to consider the odds on a good result for the visitors between Slavia Prague and Royale Union SG. If you want to remain neutral with regard to the betting tip and do not want to give a bias in either direction, you are probably in good hands in the under segment. For the Asian bet on under 2.75 goals, for example, Bet365 offers a maximum odds of 1.57.
Predicted line-up of Royale Union SG:
Moris – Mac Allister, Machida, Leysen – Castro-Montes, Ait El-Hadj, Sadiki, Puertas, Teklab – Kabangu, Eckert
Slavia Prague – Royale Union SG head-to-head / H2H result
Because the visitors in particular cannot yet look back on a glorious past on the international stage, the paths of these clubs will cross for the first time in the European Cup. For Union Saint Gilloise, it will be their first ever encounter against a Czech representative. Slavia’s record against Belgian clubs is slightly negative with three wins, two draws and five defeats, although the relevance for the upcoming fixture is limited
Slavia Prague – Royale Union SG betting tip
Many interesting clubs are still in the Champions League qualifiers. These include Slavia Prague and Royale Union SG, two clubs that caused quite a stir in the Europa League and Conference League respectively in the previous season. However, a different wind is blowing one level higher, meaning that just making the play-offs would be considered a success for both teams.
The Red & Whites from Moldova are considered to have the slightly better chances. At least that’s what the Slavia Prague vs Royale Union SG betting odds on the three-way market underline. The maximum odds for a home win are 1.93 and imply a probability of 51%. An away win, meanwhile, would pay out more than four times the stake.
We agree with the bookmakers and argue primarily that the Czechs are very difficult to beat at home. In 2023/24, the “Červenobílí” won five out of six international home games and even kept a clean sheet in all of their victories. Trpisovsky’s side have also kept clean sheets in the league so far, which is why we have ultimately decided to back the home side to win the first leg between Slavia Prague and Royale Union SG
