Illustrative photo – Match of the 7th round of the first football league: 1. FC Slovácko – Slavia Prague, September 4, 2022, Uherské Hradiště. From the left, Michal Kohút from Slovácko, Lukáš Provod from Slavia and Vlastimil Daníček from Slovácko.
Prague – In the 21st round of the first league, the leading players of Slavia will challenge fourth-placed Slovácko at home on Sunday, which defeated second-placed Plzeň 2:0 last time. The West Bohemian defending champions host Liberec a day earlier. The third Sparta will also present itself in Zlín on Saturday. Home coach Pavel Vrba will try to surprise his former team.
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Photo gallery: First Football League 2022/23
Slavia recently unexpectedly only drew 1:1 in Teplice, yet they did not lose first place and lead the table by two points ahead of Pilsen. Slovácko confirmed their excellent form against Viktoria – they won for the third time out of four spring rounds and have not yet conceded this year. In Eden, coach Martin Svědík will be absent from the visitors' bench again due to a disciplinary penalty.
“A very difficult match for us. Even in the context of what we showed in Teplice, especially in the first half. I feel from the players that it's very unfortunate and we would like to present ourselves in a completely different light,” said Slavist coach Jindřich Trpišovský for the club's television.
In the autumn, the Prague team drew 1:1 in Uherské Hradiště, but before that they beat Slovácko in five league matches in a row. “They play very well against top teams and take points from them. Every match with Slovácko is a big football war for points. Last time (against Pilsen) they played excellently and deservedly won,” said Trpišovský.
Pilsen is not having a good start until Spring. They won twice and lost twice out of four matches, coach Michal Bílek's players are not doing too well in the game either. Osmý Liberec won only one of the last five rounds and lost to Viktoria in the top competition three times in a row without scoring a goal.
“Liberec is always an unpleasant opponent, we expect a difficult match, but we try to think positively. We hesitated twice in terms of results and we are not doing very well, we all feel that. But we want to break it, we want to work hard and of course we need the support of the fans,” said the assistant coach of Pilsen Pavel Horváth.
On Sunday, Sparta convincingly defeated Jablonec 3:0, won in the sixth of the last seven rounds and got closer to the competitors in the fight for the title. They lose five points to Slavia and three points to Pilsen. Last time, the penultimate Zlín lost 1:2 to the last Pardubice, who finished behind them in the table. In September, the “Shoemakers” surprisingly drew 0:0 at Sparta.
“If we play the same as we did in the second half with Jablonec, I see no reason why we shouldn't win there. There is some handwriting of Pavel Vrba in Zlín, especially in formation. But the players didn't change too much. I think we have read them and we know who will play where. The match is only about us,” said Sparta's assistant coach Luboš Loučka.
Ninth Mladá Boleslav will welcome twelfth České Budějovice. On Saturday, Bohemians 1905 will also challenge the newcomer from Brno in Ďolíček. The “kangaroos” are sixth, Zbrojovka holds the 11th position.
The up-and-coming Pardubice, who won the last two rounds, will take on fifth Olomouc on Sunday. On the same day, the thirteenth-placed Jablonec host the fourteenth-placed Teplice in a rescue battle. Ostrava will also face seventh-placed Hradec Králové at home on Sunday. The tenth Baník lost twice in a row in the league, the “Invaders” gained only one point from the last three rounds.
Statistical data before the matches of the 21st round of the first football league:
Trinity Zlín (15th in the table) – Sparta Prague (3rd)
Kick-off: Saturday 25 February, 3:00 p.m.
Referee: Zelinka – Nádvorník, Líkař – Machálek (video).
Balance: 35 7-8-20 29:60.
Last match: 0:0.
Estimated lineups:
Zlín: Rakovan – Cedidla, Simerský, Procházka, Fantiš – Hlinka, Didiba – Fillo, Hrubý, Čanturišvili – Kozák.
Sparta: Kovář – Vitík, Sörensen, Ladislav Krejčí II – Wiesner, Sadílek, Kairinen, Zelený – Čvančara, Haraslín – Kuchta.
Absence: Bartošák, Kolář (both injuries), Hloušek (recovery) – Celůstka, Pešek (both injuries), Heča, Höjer, Mejdr, Pavelka (all uncertain start).
Disciplinary threat: Fillo, Vukadinovič – Daněk, Jankto, Mejdr, Minčev, Zelený (all 3 ŽK).
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Best scorers: Fillo (3) – Čvančara (7).
Votes before the match:
Pavel Vrba (coach Zlína): “Compared to my tenure, Sparta now has only three players in the starting lineup, it is now a different team. They belong to the contenders for the title, just like Plzeň or Slavia, but I think the decision will be made later. Their key player in the offensive phase is in the spring Lukáš Haraslín is creative and constructive. We lost in Pardubice in the last round, which is a complication for us, we need every point now. We have to avoid defensive mistakes. I don't want to evaluate how realistic a chance we have for a point, we want to surprise like in the autumn in Prague. It would be great to win a point with them like in the autumn, but we will definitely not play 0:0. Now we have the advantage of the home environment, I believe that the fans will help us.”
Luboš Loučka ( Sparta assistant coach): “We feel that performances are going up, but we still have a long way to go to our goal. In Zlín, we will want to build on the second half with Jablonec. It doesn't matter how Zlín thinks, what matters is how we will present ourselves. If we play the same way like the second half with Jablonec, I don't see any reason why we shouldn't win there. There is some handwriting of Pavel Vrba in Zlín, especially in the line-up. But the players didn't rotate much. I think we have read them and we know who will play where. That match it's only about us.”
Interesting facts:
– Sparta lost only one of the last 15 league matches with Zlín, last time they drew with them after 4 victories
– Sparta lost only one of the last 7 league matches in Zlín and won 3 times in a row there
– Zlín won only one of the last 8 rounds, last spring after 3 league matches they did not score for the first time
– Zlín has not lost twice at home in the league and won 12 of the total 17 points in the season there
– Zlín is the draw “king” of the league with 8 tied results
– Sparta lost only one of the last 19 rounds and won in 6 of the last 7 league matches
– Sparta lost only one of 9 matches away from home in the league season, but gained only 18 of the total 42 points in the year there
– coach Zlín Vrba led Sparta in the past
– Mejdr (Sparta) can play his 50th league match
Bohemians Praha 1905 (6th) – Zbrojovka Brno (11th)
Kick-off: Saturday 25 February, 3:00 p.m.
Referee: Všetečka – Pečenka, Hádek – Orel (video).
Balance: 33 11-12-10 36:37.
Last match: 2:1.
Predicted lineups:
Bohemians: Jedlička – Köstl, Hůlka, Vondra – Dostál, Čermák, Jánoš, Kovařík – Drchal, Matoušek – Puškáč.
Brno: Berkovec – Koželuh, Tijani, Šural, Granečný – Texl, Blecha – Alli, Ševčík, Hladík – Řezníček.
Absences: Křapka, Morávek, Petrák, Shejbal (all injured), Necid (uncertain start) – Endl (4 ŽK), Fousek, Souček (both injured).
Disciplinary threats: Beran, Jánoš, Matoušek, Prekop, Puskáč (all 3 ŽK) – Šural (7 ŽK), Berkovec, Hrabina, Ševčík, Tijani (all 3 ŽK).
Best scorers: Puskáč (5) – Řezníček (13).
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Votes before the match:
Jaroslav Veselý (Bohemians coach): “We have two defeats behind us, so we need to score again. The table is very even. In addition, we have to atone for the loss against Sparta at home. Brno will go into the match in a better mood, since they won last time. But I believe that we will build on the victory on their field in the autumn part .”
Richard Dostálek (Brno coach): “We are entering the English week, the first priority is the league match against Bohemians. We are facing an unpleasant opponent who managed to beat us in the autumn. This is also motivation for the boys, they want to give an improved performance. Bohemians have a well-organized defensive phase, they are strong in defense. They have good attacking players and a dangerous front three, strong in attack. We have to concentrate not to lose the ball.”
Interesting points:
– Bohemians in the league they have not lost 7 times in a row with Brno and they have won in the last 2 mutual duels (each time 2:1)
– Bohemians have not lost 9 times in a row at home in the league with Brno and they have won in the last 3 duels there
– Bohemians lost 2 rounds in a row
– Bohemians lost at home in the league last time after 2 victories and got only 9 out of a total of 28 points in the season, but they beat Pardubice there as a visiting team
– Brno won after 6 rounds last time
– Brno has not won 4 times in a row away from home in the league (including 3 defeats), but in the season there they won 13 out of a total of 24 points
– there may be a duel between the half-brothers Jedlička (Bohemians) and Řezníček (Brno)
– Falta (Brno) can claim his 200th start in the league
FK Mladá Boleslav (9th) – Dynamo České Budějovice (12th)< /h4>
Kick-off: Saturday 25 February, 15:00.
Referee: Batík – Paták, Podaný – Hocek (video).
Balance: 29 18-5-6 54:33.
Last match: 2:0.
Predicted lineups:
M. Boleslav: Šeda – Šimek, Karafiát, Suchý – Suchomel, Kubista, Matějovský, Fulnek – Mareček – Kušej, Ladra.
No. Budějovice: Janáček – Sladký, Havel, Králik, Skovajsa – Cermák, Hora, Hellebrand – Adediran, Michal Škoda, Potočný.
Absence: Dancák, Donát, Stránský (all injured), Vaníček (recovery) – Hais (injury).
Disciplinary threats: Jawo, Mareček, Mašek, Šimek, Milan Škoda, Tomič – Čolič, Hora, Králik , Sladký, Sluka (all 3 ŽK).
Best scorers: Ladra, Mareček (both 5) – Čmelík, Havel (both 3).
Votes before the match:
Pavel Hoftych (coach M. Boleslavi): “Budějovice have a well-composed team with new coaches. They played very good matches in Slovácko and in Pilsen and won at home against the strong Bohemka. They play in a slightly different style than Hradec, with whom we narrowly won in the last round, so we have a different match waiting for us. We will again do our best to win, knowing that every point gained is important in an extremely balanced table.”
Marek Nikl (coach Č. Budějovic): “The victory over Bohemkka was very important for us, we finally broke through. We will go to Boleslav better, every good result is a result of our performances. The boys will move on and become more confident. It's great that we managed it at home, but we will want to succeed in Boleslav as well.”
Interesting facts:
– M. Boleslav lost only one of the last 9 league matches with Č. Budějovice and won 4 times in a row
– M. Boleslav lost only one of 14 home league matches against Č. Budějovice
– M. Boleslav eliminated Č. Budějovice in the semi-finals of the expansion group last season
– M. Boleslav won after 3 rounds last time
– M. Boleslav did not win twice in a row at home in the league and got only 10 out of a total of 26 points, but last time they beat Hradec at their stadium as a visiting team during its asylum
– Č. Budějovice won the league last time after 4 defeats and scored points for the first time in the spring
– Č. Budějovice lost 4 times in a row away from home in the league, but won 13 of the total 21 points in the season there
– coach M. Boleslavi Hoftych in the past he led Č. Budějovice
– Vojta (M. Boleslav) will celebrate his 19th birthday the day after the match
– there may be a brotherly fight between the Škodas between Milan (M. Boleslav) and Michal (Č. Budějovice)
– Hellebrand (Č. Budějovice) may play their 100th league game
Viktoria Plzeň (2nd) – Slovan Liberec (8th)
Kick-off: Saturday 25 February, 18:00.
Referee: Berka – Vlček, Machač – Petřík (video).
Balance: 53 22-13-18 69:58.
Last match: 1:0.
Predicted lineups:
Pilsen: Staněk – Havel, Pernica, Hejda, Jemelka – Bucha, Květ – Kopic, Vlkanova, Sýkora – Chorý.
Liberec: Vliegen – Plechatý, Prebsl, Purzitidis – Ndefe, Valenta, Červ, Preisler – Frýdek, Tupta – Olatunji.
Absence: Kalvach, Kliment (both convalescence), Rezník (uncertain start) – Fukala, Mikula , Višinský (all injured), Gebre Selassie, Ndefe (both uncertain start).
Disciplinary threats: Chorý, Kalvach, Květ, Ndiaye – Cerv, Frýdek (all 3 ŽK).
Best scorers: Květ (11) – Červ (3).
Votes before the match:
Pavel Horváth (assistant coach of Pilsen): “We are talking about the match in Slovácko. What we did wrong, what we need to add… And the boys took it as their own. They are working hard and fully concentrating on Saturday, because it is a very important match for us. Liberec is always an unpleasant opponent , we are expecting a difficult match, but we are trying to think positively. Twice we hesitated in terms of results and we are not doing very well, we all feel that. We want to break it, struggle and of course we need the support of the fans. I believe that after the match we will all be happy.”
Marek Čech (Goalkeeper coach of Liberec): “It will definitely be challenging, because Plzeň has its quality. It was not for nothing that they were at the top of the table a few rounds ago. We respect their quality and will try to cope with it as best as possible. I believe that we will manage to grab a point there.”
Interesting facts:
– Pilsen beat Liberec 3 times in a row and each time without conceding a goal
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– Pilsen lost only one of the last 10 home league duels with Liberec
– Plzeň won only 2 of the last 5 rounds and lost 2 times out of 4 games of the spring part of the league season
– Plzeň lost 2 times at home in the league out of the last 4 games and got only 21 of the total 45 points there
– Plzeň has the best defense in the competition with 16 goals conceded, together with Slavia, but they have failed to keep a clean sheet 5 times in a row in the league
– Kopic (Plzeň) can play their 300th league game
– Liberec coach Kozel played for Plzeň
– Sýkora (Pilzeň), who worked in Liberec, scored in the last 2 mutual league matches
Slavia Prague (1st) – 1. FC Slovácko (4th)
Kick-off: Sunday, February 26, 3:00 p.m.
Referee: Szikszay – Hájek, Kříž – Petřík (video).
Balance: 42 22-10-10 63:37.
Last match: 1:1.
Predicted lineups:
Slavia: Kolář – Douděra, Ousou, Ogbu, D. Jurásek – Holeš – Jurečka, Hronek, Zafeiris, Olayinka – Tecl.
Slovakia: Nguyen – Reinberk, Hofmann, Kadlec, Kalabiška – Havlík, Daníček – Paržela, Kim Sung-pin, Doski – Vecheta.
Absence: Hovorka, Hromada (both injuries), Bořil (recovery), Lingr, Masopust, Oscar, Ševčík (all uncertain start) – Kohút (4 ŽK), Holzer (injury), Mihálik (uncertain start).
< p>Disciplinary threat: Douděra, Hronek, Schranz – Vecheta (all 3 ŽK).
Best scorers: Van Buren (11) – Mihálik (4).
Votes before the match:
Jindřich Trpišovský (Slavia coach): “A very difficult match for us, even in the context of what we showed in Teplice. We showed our bad face there. I feel from the players that they are very sorry, we would like to present ourselves in a completely different light. We would like to show the true face of Slavia What is coach Svědík in Slovácko, they play very well in matches with the top of the table and take points from those teams. We played 1:1 there in the autumn, we know how difficult that match was. Every match with Slovácko is a big football war for points , which was also shown in Sunday's match (with Plzeň). In all respects it was a mature performance and a well-deserved victory.”
Jan Palinek (coach Slovácko's assistant): “We are going to Slavia encouraged by the scalp of champion Pilsen, and our ambitions are also supported by a very good performance. I will not say anything new that success is always decided by the defense. Ours is solid in the spring, we have not conceded a goal yet. We feel that we will now be tested by the best offensive in the entire league, it will be that's a big test for us. We had some scars after Pilsen, but ours the squad is wide enough, so I believe we won't have a problem with the line-up.”
Interesting facts:
– Slavia lost only one of the last 16 mutual league matches and scored 6 times in a row (including 5 victories)
– Slavia at home in the league with Slovácko 8 times after they did not lose to themselves (including 7 wins)
– Slavia drew last time in Teplice and lost points after 8 league wins in a row
– Slavia won all 10 matches at home in the league season with a score of 42 :5 and is the best team in the competition there
– Slavia has the best attack in the league with 61 goals and, with 16 conceded goals, together with Pilsen, it also has the strongest defense
– Slovácko has not lost 5 league matches in a row (including 4 victories) and is the only one not to have conceded in 4 spring rounds
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– Slovakia has won twice in a row away from home in the league
– coach Slavia Trpišovský is coaching his 250th league match and will celebrate his 47th birthday the day after the match
< h4>Sigma Olomouc (5th) – FK Pardubice (16th)
Kick-off: Sunday, February 26, 15:00.
Referee: Nehasil – Hrabovský, Mikeska – Zelinka ( video).
Record: 5 3-1-1 11:5.
Last match: 2:0.
Predicted lineups:
Olomouc: Trefil – Poulolo, Beneš, Vraštil – Zifčák, Breite, Ventúra, Zmrzlý – Navrátil – Růsek, Chytil.
Pardubice: Nita – Kostka, Vlček, Hranáč, Chlumecký – Vacek – Pikul, Hlavatý, Janošek , Helešic – Černý.
Absence: Fortelný (injury), Chytil, Macík, Růsek, Spáčil (all uncertain start) – Icha, Jeřábek, Solil (all injured), Mareš (uncertain start).
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Disciplinary threat: Chytil, Matoušek, Vraštil, Zmrzlý – Černý, Hranáč, Janošek (all 3 ŽK).
Best scorers: Chytil (7) – Janošek (5).
< strong>Voices before the match:
Jiří Saňák (assistant coach of Olomouc): “There are no easy opponents in the league, this is confirmed in every round. Pardubice won twice in the spring, beating Mlada Boleslav and Zlín. They continue to follow the concept of the game that they had under the previous coaches. But they have increased the intensity of the game, they are more organized. Four draws already they are behind us, we want to win the next game, that's absolutely clear. The performances were not bad, but we want to continue to improve them. We want to be more productive and efficient, that should be the way to three points.”
Radoslav Kováč (coach of Pardubice): “Two victories in a row will help our team 100%, especially psychologically. But there is still nothing to celebrate, because we are still in last place. In Olomouc, I expect a match with a very good opponent. Sigma has great coaches. I know Václav Jílek from his time at Sparta, that's why I know , that the players under him are playing good football. We don't even need to talk about the qualities of Olomouc's players, there is interest in several of them throughout the country. We have a tough match ahead of us, but we want to grab points. We mainly want to improve our game after scoring a goal, last time against Zlín we were goalkeeper Janošek fell off the pace and we had to react to it.”
Interesting facts:
– Olomouc lost only one of 5 league matches against Pardubice and 3 times in a row she won (scoring 10 goals in the process)
– Pardubice achieved their only win out of 5 mutual league matches away from home
– Olomouc lost only one of the last 12 league matches and drew in all 4 spring rounds
– Olomouc at home in the league 5 times in a row they did not lose, but in the season there they got only 12 out of a total of 28 points
– Pardubice lost only one of the last 5 rounds and won 2 times in a row
– Pardubice lost only one of the last 4 away games in the league duels, but they scored only 7 of the total 17 points in the season
– Pardubice have the worst attack in the league with 17 goals
– coach Pardubice Kováč played for Olomouc
– Fortelný (Olomouc) is waiting for his 50th league start
FK Jablonec (13th) – FK Teplice (14th)
Kick-off: Sunday, February 26, 3 p.m.
Referee: Orel – Caletka, Slavíček – Adámková (video).
Balance: 54 20-18-16 64:54.
Last match: 2:3.
Predicted lineups:
Jablonec: Hanuš – Akpudje, Král, Martinec – Šulc, Hübschman, Považanec, Polidar – Chramosta, Jovovič – Sejk.
Teplice: Grigar – Chaloupek, Mičevič, Hybš – Hyčka, Mareček, Kučera, Urbanec – Trubač – Gning, Vachoušek.
Absence: Houska, Kratochvíl, Krob, Malínský – Fila, Vondrášek (all injured ), Jukl, Knapík (uncertain start).
Disciplinary threats: Houska, Jovovič (both 7 ŽK), Heidenreich, Krob, Považanec – Dramé, Hyčka (all 3 ŽK).
Best scorers: Chramosta – Žák (both 7).
Votes before the match:
David Horejš (coach of Jablonec): “Now we have to win the match against Teplice, it's an important match for us. We want to build on what went well in Ostrava and learn from what didn't go well against Sparta. We're playing at home and the players are ready for what will wait against Teplice.”
Jiří Jarošík (Teplice coach): “I wish we could follow up on the draw with Slavia, but it won't be a game in which we have nothing to lose. We are playing for a lot, just like two weeks ago in Zlín. There we also wanted to prepare well for the opponent and stab him in his weak spots. But instead we stabbed ourselves with our own individual blunders, we have to avoid those. Jablonec didn't do very well against Sparta in the last round, I didn't like him. But he had minus two or three players who will be involved now. Maybe after what he got behind , he will play differently, because he feels that the match with us is more important for him. Our performance against Slavia was not ideal either. There was mainly combativeness, commitment, but we also want to play football.”
Interesting points :
– Teplice won 3 of the last 4 mutual league duels
– Teplice won last time in the league in Jablonec, but before that they did not win there 9 times in a row
– Jablonec won only one of the last 6 rounds
– Jablonec won only one of the last 4 matches at home in the league, but in the season there they got 12 out of a total of 20 points
– Teplice did not win in the 4 spring rounds, but last time they drew with Slavia
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– Teplice have lost 5 times in a row away from home and with 4 points they are the worst team in the competition there
– Teplice have the worst defense in the league with 45 goals conceded
– Ikaunieks (Jablonec) can claim his 100th start in the Czech league
– Dramé (Teplice) will celebrate his 27th birthday the day after the match
Baník Ostrava (10th) – FC Hradec Králové (7th)
Kick-off: Sunday, February 26, 18:00.
Referee: Starý – Kubr, Vodrážka – Machálek (video).
Balance: 30 16-8-6 42:21.
Last match: 0:0.< /p>
Expected Builds:
Ostrava: Laštůvka – Juroška, Bitri, Lischka, Šehič – Cadu, Šín, Kuzmanovič, Kaloč, Plavšič – Jiří Klíma.
Hradec: Bajza – Jakub Klíma, Čihák, Leibl – Gabriel, Rada, Kodeš, Smrž . all uncertain start).
Disciplinary threats: Kaloč (7 ŽK), Almási, Cadu, Frydrych, Laštůvka, Lischka – Harazim, Leibl, Reichl, Smrž (all 3 ŽK).
Best scorers: Almási, Jiří Klíma (both 5) – Kubala (6).
Votes before the match:
Pavel Hapal (Ostrava coach ): “I am convinced that we will react to the last two defeats with an even more determined performance. It will be a big fight. Hradec presents itself as such, it is a very competitive team. But we believe that we will push them and that we will win. We have something for the fans give back. I believe that this will manifest itself in even greater commitment, passion and desire to win.”
Stanislav Hejkal (assistant coach of Hradec): “The match with Boleslaví did not go well for us either in terms of results or playing. There is no need to evaluate it anymore, we have to move one step further. Baník had an excellent start to the spring, drawing in Zlín, he won in Teplice. He had to play away three times out of four matches. The last two matches did not work out for him and he will definitely want to rehabilitate for that. We will have it all the more difficult, but I believe that we are fully ready for it.”
Interesting points:
– Ostrava lost only one of the last 10 mutual league matches and scored 4 times in a row against Hradec (including 3 draws)
– Ostrava did not lose in 15 matches at home against Hradec in a separate league (including 12 victories)
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– Ostrava lost the last 2 rounds (both with the result 1:2)
– Hradec did not win in the league 3 times in a row and won in only one of the last 7 rounds
– coach Koubek (Hradec) worked in Ostrava
– Harazim (Hradec) can play his 50th league game
– Vízek (Hradec) will celebrate his 30th birthday on the day of the match, Frydrych will be 33 on Monday and Kaloč (both Ostrava) will be 23
Table:
