On August 21 at 3:00 AM, the first leg of the UEFA Champions League play-off round will see Lille host Slavia Prague. Lille shoulders the responsibility of defending the honor of Ligue 1, while it is also noteworthy whether Slavia Prague can achieve victory against the odds.
In the 2023-24 season of Ligue 1, Lille secured the fourth place with 16 wins, 11 draws, and 7 losses, accumulating 59 points, thus qualifying for the Champions League. In the previous third round of the Champions League qualifiers, Lille went through a tough battle over two legs, including extra time, to eliminate Fenerbahçe with an aggregate score of 3-2 and advance. In the history of the Champions League, Lille has twice advanced to the Round of 16, in the 2006-07 and 2021-22 seasons, which represents their best performance in the competition. The new season of Ligue 1 has also kicked off, and Lille started off well with a 2-0 win over Reims in the opening match.
Up to now this season, three players have scored for Lille: Jonathan David with 2 goals, Eiton Zegiro and Burak Yılmaz each scoring one goal.
In the 2023-24 season of the Czech First League, Slavia Prague finished second with 26 wins, 7 draws, and 2 losses, accumulating 85 points, securing qualification for the Champions League. In the third round of the Champions League qualifiers, Slavia Prague achieved a resounding 4-1 aggregate victory over Union Saint-Gilloise to advance. In the current Czech First League season, Slavia Prague currently stands third with 4 wins and 1 draw, accumulating 13 points, indicating good form. Slavia Prague has previously reached the group stage of the Champions League in the 2007-08 and 2019-20 seasons but failed to progress further, which remains their best performance in the competition’s history.
Within the ranks of Slavia Prague, four players, including Ondrej Chory, Vaclav Jurecka, Oscar Dorley, and El Hadji Malick Diouf, have each scored two goals so far this season.
For this match, Lille will be without Samuel Umtiti, Saphir Taider, and Angel Gomes due to injuries; Slavia Prague will miss Martin Zmrhal, Jan Kopic, and Petr Vyskocil due to injuries.
The two teams have met only twice historically, with Lille winning both encounters; in the single meeting at Lille’s home ground, they comfortably won 3-1.
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