Our prediction for this Europa League match:
Slavia Prague will look to move one step closer to the Europa League group stages when they take on Zorya Luhansk at their Fortuna Arena on Thursday. The Red-Whites are a real force to be reckoned with at home, but the Ukrainians should not be written off just yet. All Dorley, Lingr, Pech, Sinyan, and Wallem have been struggling with injuries of late, while important midfielder Lukas Provod is widely expected to return to the starting XI after coming as a substitute in a 1-0 win over Ostrava at the weekend.
Zorya, on the other hand, have recorded only one win in the national championship this season and given Slavia’s impressive winning run on home soil, we do not believe that the visitors are capable of grabbing something from the match. The two teams meet for the first time ever in the competition.
Highlighted Player (Ondrej Kolar ):
Born in Liberec, Czech Republic on October 17, 1994, Ondrej Kolar is a towering goalkeeper who plays for Slavia Prague. Kolar started his youth career at his hometown club Liberec, and he continued playing for the White-Blues at senior level.
After making 30 league appearances for the club, he move to Slavia Prague in 2018. It has to be noted that he played for Varnsdorf on loan as well during his spell with Liberec. The Czech shot-stopper has established himself as a first-team regular at Slavia Prague where he became the most expensive goalkeeper in the Czech First League history.
Speaking of his international career, the 193-cm-tall goalkeeper made his debut for the national team on November 17, 2019 in the Euro 2020 qualifying match against Bulgaria. His preferred foot is right, and he wears the No. 1 jersey at Slavia Prague. His contract with the capital club should expire in June 2022.
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.