At 1 AM on August 8th, in the third round of the Champions League qualifiers, Czech side Slavia Prague will host Belgian club St. Gilloise at the Eden Arena.
Slavia Prague currently sits 34th in the UEFA club ranking with 47 points. They have played a total of 234 matches in the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League, recording 87 wins, 61 draws, and 86 losses. They reached the Europa League quarter-finals in 2019 and 2021, the Conference League quarter-finals in 2022, and the Europa League round of 16 last season, making them seasoned veterans of European competition.
St. Gilloise, in comparison, has less experience in Europe, with a ranking of 60th and 27 points. They have only participated in two Champions League qualifiers, this season being the second, after being eliminated in the third round by Rangers in 2022-23. If they manage to advance, it would be a historic achievement for the club, founded 126 years ago.
Both teams are in good form recently. Slavia Prague has started the season with 2 wins and 1 draw in 3 matches, keeping 3 clean sheets. St. Gilloise also started the season well, winning the Belgian Super Cup against Club Brugge before securing 1 win and 1 draw in the first two league matches.
Slavia Prague’s home advantage cannot be underestimated. Excluding league matches, in the last three seasons, they have played 20 European matches (including Champions League qualifiers, Europa League, etc.) at home, losing only 3 (against Feyenoord, Cluj, and AC Milan), and winning 13, including notable victories like 3-1 against Union Berlin and 2-0 against Roma. In the last two seasons, St. Gilloise has played 12 European away games, with a record of 6 wins, 3 draws, and 3 losses, including notable achievements like a draw against Leverkusen in 2022-23 and wins over Frankfurt and Fenerbahçe last season.
The two teams haven’t faced each other in over a decade. In the history of European competition, Slavia Prague has played 10 times against Belgian teams (Anderlecht, Club Brugge, etc.), with a record of 3 wins, 2 draws, and 5 losses. This puts them at a disadvantage.
In terms of personnel, both sides have some injury concerns. Slavia Prague is missing goalkeeper Stanek, defender Zimzla, and center-back Vlček. St. Gilloise is without center-backs Buggs and Sykes, and midfielder Lazar-Amani.
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