Our prediction for this Europa League match:
A spot in the Europa League quarter-finals will be at stake when Slavia Prague and AC Milan take on each other at Fortuna Arena on Thursday. Jindrich Trpisovsky’s troops aim to build on a thrilling 4-0 win over Teplice and they need yet another big win if they are to eliminate the Rossoneri in the EL double-header. El Hadji Malick Diouf misses out through suspension after the 19-year-old was sent off in the San Siro defeat, while all Kolar, Pech, and Zafeiris remain in the recovery room.
Stefano Pioli’s troops, on the other hand, are on a three-game winning run in all competitions ahead of the trip to Prague. As AC Milan are likely to adopt a cautious approach in the second leg, we are tempted to place our bets on under 2.5 goals. Olivier Giroud returns to the starting XI, while both Rafael Leao and Alessandro Florenzi are back from the domestic bans.
Highlighted Player (Christian Pulisic):
Christian Pulisic is an American professional footballer who plays in the English Premier League with Chelsea. Born in Pennsylvania on the 18th of September, 1998, the talented midfielder joined Brackley Town's youth setup in 2005. He then went on to feature for Michigan Rush and PA classics before being recruited by Bundesliga outfit Borrusia Dortmund in February 2015.
Impressed with the rate of his progression at their academy, BVB integrated the teenager into their first team over the winter break. On the 30th of January, 2015, Pulisic made his professional debut at the age of 17, coming on as a substitute in Dortmund's 2-0 home win against Ingolstadt in the league. He then went on to score his first professional goal three months later in a 3-0 league win over Hamburger SV. Before joining English club Chelsea in 2018, Pulisic played a total of 4 seasons at Dortmund, three of which were as a full-time player and the last one on loan from the Blues.
The 21-year-old is now back at Chelsea for the 19/20 season and is currently on a contract that expires in 2024. Pulisic's club career honors include winning the 16/17 DFB Pokal with Dortmund. Additionally, Pulisic initially represented the USA at the under-15 and under-17 level before getting called up to the senior squad. He made his senior debut on the 29th of March,2016, as a substitute in USA's 4-0 thumping of Guatemala in the CONCACAF World cup qualifiers.
Highlighted Team (Slavia Prague):
Slavia Prague is considered one of the most famous teams in Czech Republic. The Cervenobili won the Czechoslovak First League on 13 occasions and they lifted their fourth Czech First League in 2017. Despite winning the domestic trophy in the 2016/2017 season, Slavia Prague eventually failed to book their place in the Champions League group stages as they were beaten by APOEL of Cyprus in the play-offs. Sparta Prague are regarded as Slavia’s fiercest rivals and the two teams face each other in the Prague derby.
The club was founded on November 2, 1892 and it has to be noted that the club was initially focused on cycling. In March 1896 Slavia Prague recorded their first ever victory, with the team beating AC Prague 5-0. The Cervenobili play their home games at Eden Arena and the capacity of the venue is 19.084 (football). Slavia Prague are well known for their red and white shirts and white shorts.