AC Milan found out today that they will meet Slavia Prague in the round of 16 of the Europa League, a team that many fans might not know too much about.
As our colleagues at SempreMilan.it write, it will be the first time that Milan and Slavia have met in their history, the same as in the last round against Stade Rennais.
Nonetheless, the Rossoneri have faced their city rivals Sparta Praha eight times with the most recent meetings being in the 2020-21 Europa League group stages. The record reads six wins and two draws against them.
Meanwhile, Slavia have played Milan’s rivals Inter before, securing a famous 1-1 draw at San Siro in the group stages of the 2019-20 Champions League.
How Slavia Praha line up
Slavia often play with a 3-4-1-2 system, a formation that has historically created more than a few headaches for Stefano Pioli’s side. However, their coach Trpisovsky is dealing with several issues in every department.
They have two goalkeepers out in Stanek and Kolar (the starter at present is Mandous), while their regista and arguably star man Zafeiris is also sidelined. The right winger Jurasek – who has four goals and an assist this season – is also out.
Given all the selection issues, Slavia Praha having been lining up with Mandous in goal, Ogbu (a physically strong Nigerian) in defence together with Holes and the former Torino player Zima.
In midfield Sevcik and Oscar Dorley act as a screen and support the advances of the wingers Diouf and Doudera (three goals in two).
In the attacking midfield there is the talent of Wallem, author of 6 goals and 5 assists in 2023-24 so far, supporting the forwards Jurecka (10 goals this season) and above all Mojmír Chytil, who netted four goals in five Europa League group stages.
Chytil, Jurecka and Wallem are the men to fear as they showed Roma during the group stage, when they won 2-0 at home.
The form and precedents
As mentioned, Milan have never faced Slavia in their history. However, the Czech team have challenged Italian clubs on 30 occasions (nine different teams), obtaining two victories each against Roma, Verona and Juventus and one against Inter, Genoa, Palermo and Udinese.
However, there were three defeats against Roma and Bologna, two against Juventus, Inter and Genoa, then one against Palermo, Fiorentina and Udinese.
On the other hand, the Rossoneri have challenged a club from the Czech Republic in Europe 14 times. The games against Sparta Praha (eight matches) yielded six wins and one draw.
In addition to that, Milan played two games each against Slovan Liberec (1W, 1L), Viktoria Plzen (1W, 1D) and Vitkovice (1W, 1L).
The 2023–24 season is Slavia Praha’s 132nd season in existence and 31st consecutive in the Czech First League. Last season, they finished runners up to Sparta on head to head.
It is the two teams from the capital who are once again battling for supremacy, with Slavia currently four points behind Sparta with a record of 16 wins, four draws and one loss.
That loss came against Viktoria Plzen who are in third but lagging a bit behind, while the derby earlier in the season finished 1-1.
What is interesting to note is that Slavia play away against Sparta on Sunday 3 March, which is four days before the first leg at San Siro.
They were dominant in their Europa League group stage games, beating Serviette 2-0 and 4-0, Sheriff Tiraspol 6-0 and 3-2, plus they also triumphed 2-0 at home against Roma but lost 2-0 away.
The opposition view
After the draw was made in Nyon, Slavia posted a statement on their website which was a sort of reaction to the news they would be facing the seven-time Champions League winners.
“Friday’s draw determined that Slavia will face AC Milan in the round of 16 of the Europa League. The initial duel will take place on March 7 at the legendary San Siro stadium, with the return leg scheduled for a week later at the Eden Arena.
“Just before half past one, AC Milan was drawn as Slavia’s opponent for the Europa League round of 16 in Nyon, Switzerland. One of the seven possible opponents advanced to the play-offs after defeating French side Rennes in a dramatic two-legged tie.
“Slavia appeared at the San Siro relatively recently, earning a point after a draw against their competitive rivals, Inter, following an excellent performance. AC Milan, under the guidance of Stefano Pioli, currently sits in third place in the Italian league.
“The biggest stars of the team include defender Theo Hernández, Portuguese winger Rafael Leao, and the team’s current top scorer, Olivier Giroud. Giroud, the French international, was a significant part of Chelsea’s team, against whom Slavia ended their Europa League journey in the quarter-finals of the 2018-19 season.
“One of the freshest memories of the Italian giant in the current Slavia squad belongs to David Zima, who contributed to Torino’s victory in Milan during the round of 16 of the Italian Cup last season.
“The first match against AC Milan will be played on March 7 at the opponent’s venue, with the return leg a week later at home in Eden. We will inform you about the exact kick-off times of both matches and the ticket sales in the coming days.”
We rarely know any name of Slavia players, compare to Leverkusen players such as Boniface, Granit Xhaka, Frimpong, Grimaldo, Patrick Schick, Palacios, or Arthur 😀
I think they could be sneaky good, I haven’t seen them play but I believe they have only lost twice in all competitions so far
We deserved this draw after CL group of death. No doubt we’ll have to beat both the opposition and the ref, though, as usual.