Slavia Prague will take a three-goal lead for their visit to Dnipro-1 in the second leg of Europa League qualifying. Due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the second leg will take place in Kosice, Slovakia. The Czech side is firmly in control of the tie.
Preview (Dnipro-1 vs Slavia Prague)
Ivan Schranz scored two goals quickly in the first leg, leaving Dnipro-1 behind 2-0 after 37 minutes. Vaclav Jurecka had a goal disallowed early in the second half. The Ukrainian team had a chance after Igoh Ogbu was sent off in the 58th minute. They were ultimately unable to capitalize on the one-man advantage of Conrad Wallem. He scored Slavia’s third goal late in the game. Three days later, Minai held Dnipro-1 to a 1-1 draw in the Ukrainian Premier League.
Oleksandr Kucher’s team has had a difficult time establishing themselves throughout the 2023–24 season. They have only been successful in one of their five games across all competitions. Dnipro-1 will be anxious to rebound against Slavia Prague and secure European football. They lost 5-3 on aggregate to Greek club Panathinaikos in the Champions League second qualifying round. Dnipro-1 has had an erratic start to the new season. Slavia Prague has started the 2023–24 campaign with five straight victories in all competitions.
After winning three games in a row in the Czech Liga, Jindrich Trpisovsky’s team easily dispatched Dnipro-1 before defeating Mlada Boleslav 1-0 on Sunday. They took 15 shots while limiting the visitors to only one shot on goal. Slavia is now ranked second in the Czech top division behind arch-rival Sparta Prague. They have scored 13 goals in four victories this season. They won each of their first four league matches while scoring eight goals and allowing just two.
The Red and Whites, who won three straight Czech Liga titles between 2018-19 and 2020-21 before coming in second place in each of the previous two seasons, will nevertheless be pleased with their early-season achievements and optimistic of reclaiming their domestic crown. Since Slavia already has a foot in the playoff round, it goes without saying that they will be confident in securing their spot in the next stage of Europa League qualification.
Team News
As of right now, goalkeeper Yevgen Volynets, right-back Denys Miroshnichenko, and forward Maksym Tretyakov are all out injured for Dnipro-1. Oleksandr Filippov will likely continue to lead the line in Oleksandr Kucher’s projected continuation in a 4-2-3-1 system, with Ruslan Babenko and Valentyn Rubchynskyi serving as the expected midfield anchors. For the second leg, David Pech and David Doudera of Slavia Prague will be out due to injuries; the latter sustained a muscular issue last month.
In five appearances this season, Ivan Schranz, Mick van Buren, and Mojmir Chytil have all recorded two goals and one assist, while Lukas Provod has provided one goal and three assists. We anticipate Slavia Prague to defeat Dnipro-1 with ease, as they have won each of their first five games this season while scoring 11 goals and maintaining three clean sheets.
Dnipro-1 1-3 Slavia Prague
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