Slavia Prague Barely Missed Out on UCL Qualification
The 2024-25 Europa League gets underway on Wednesday with nine matches. Before we make our Ludogorets vs Slavia Prague prediction, we’ll take a look at the key match facts.
While Ludogorets are 13-time defending Bulgarian champions, Slavia Prague finished right behind rivals Sparta Prague in the Czech First League last season. Slavia Prague just barely missed out on Champions League qualification and the visitors will be looking to kick off their UEL campaign with a win.
Ludogorets vs Slavia Prague Match Info:
- Location: Huvepharma Arena, Razgrad, Bulgaria
- Date & Time: Wednesday, September 25th, 3:00 p.m. ET
- TV: Paramount+
Ludogorets vs Slavia Prague Head-to-Head
This is the first-ever meeting between Ludogorets and Slavia Prague.
Ludogorets are 1-1-0 against Czech clubs all-time.
Meanwhile, Slavia Prague haven’t taken on a Bulgarian team since defeating CSKA Sofia 4-2 in 2005. Slavia Prague are 2-2-1 against Bulgarian clubs all-time.
Delev Doubtful for Ludogorets
- Bulgarian First League Standings: 7-1-0 (1st)
- Form (All Competitions): W,W,W,D,W
Bulgarian giants Ludogorets have qualified for the group stage of a European competition for a ninth straight season. Ludogorets have won 13 Bulgarian titles in a row but European success has been hard to come by.
They’ve never made it past the round of 16 of a UEFA competition and Ludogorets fell 1-0 to Servette, on aggregate, in last season’s Conference League knockout round play-off. In the third round of 2024-25 Champions League qualifiers, Ludogorets took down Qarabag 2-1 in the first leg.
However, they conceded four goals in extra time in the second leg and fell 7-2. As a result, Ludogorets dropped down to the Europa League play-off, where they took down Petrocub 6-1, on aggregate.
Ludogorets have five Brazilians on their roster and Rwan Cruz is the most dangerous of the bunch. He’s scored four goals in the Bulgarian First League already, including the second goal in last weekend’s 2-0 win over Lokomotiv Sofia. Meanwhile, Swiss international Kwadwo Duah scored a first half double against Qarabag a few weeks ago.
However, Spas Delev, who also scored last weekend, is a doubt after coming off injured in Ludogorets’ last match. In their last appearance in the competition, in 2022-23, Ludogorets lost three of their six group stage Europa League fixtures.
Chytil Key for Slavia Prague
- Czech First League Standings: 7-1-0 (1st)
- Form (All Competitions): W,W,W,W,L
Slavia Prague missed out on the Czech First League title by two points in 2023-24. They also barely missed out on Champions League qualification this season. After beating Union Saint-Gilloise 4-1 over two legs in third round qualifiers, Slavia Prague fell 3-2 to Lille, on aggregate.
Last season, Slavia Prague won five of their six group stage matches in the Europa League. Slavia Prague’s games are quite tough this time around, as they take on Ajax, Athletic Club, Eintracht Frankfurt and Fenerbahce in their next few UEL fixtures. So, they’ll see their opener as a big opportunity to get all three points.
Over the weekend, Slavia Prague destroyed fellow Europa League side Viktoria Plzen 3-0 in the Czech First League. Slavia Prague are on a four game winning streak, in all competitions, and they’ve won six of their last nine in UEFA competitions.
Vaclav Jurecka, who scored 19 goals in last season’s Czech First League, has left the club. It’s up to Mojmir Chytil and Tomas Chory to score goals for Slavia Prague. Chytil was one of the most valuable Slavia Prague players in the UEL last season, with four goals and two assists.
Slovakian Euro 2024 hero Ivan Schranz is doubtful due to a muscle injury here, while starting keeper Jindrich Stanek and defender Igoh Ogbu are out.
Ludogorets vs Slavia Prague Prediction
Ludogorets were embarrassed by Qarabag on their home turf just a few weeks ago and bettors certainly shouldn’t rule out an away win here. Slavia Prague have a strong side and this is a must-win match for them given their difficult schedule.
With the format change in the Europa League, there are no groups and Ludogorets have a more favorable schedule. Given Slavia Prague’s roster, recent form and their performances in the UCL qualifiers and the UEL last season, we think they have an edge here.
Our Ludogorets vs Slavia Prague prediction is Slavia Prague to grab a hard-fought victory on Wednesday. The best price on an away win at the moment is +110 at BetMGM.
Slavia Prague are coming off a 3-0 victory and aren’t short on confidence. Another of our Ludogorets vs Slavia Prague predictions is that this one will be closer than that but that the visitors will ultimately come away with all three points.
Still, Slavia Prague must be wary of Ludogrets’ Polish international Jakub Piotrowski, who scored four UECL goals last season.
Top Soccer Bet: Slavia Prague (+110)
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