Slavia Praha vs Barcelona
After a slow start to the season, Barcelona are finally back to playing like one of the top sides in Europe. Unsurprisingly, their rise has coincided with the return to form of a certain Lionel Messi.
Messi will now lead Barca on their next Champions League assignment, which will see them visit the Czech Republic to take on Slavia Prague.
Slavia have given the other top two teams in the so-called “Group of Death” — Inter Milan and Borussia Dortmund — all they could handle, but facing the Spanish giants will be by far their toughest test to date.
Talking Points
Slavia Praha giving a strong account of themselves
Slavia Praha have been surprisingly competitive in this year’s Champions League group stage. They very nearly defied the Champions League 2019 betting odds when they went into the San Siro and almost defeated Inter Milan. The Italians needed a stoppage-time equaliser to salvage a 1-1 draw.
Slavia then put on another strong performance at home against Dortmund. Despite losing 2-0, they arguably outplayed the Germans as they had the edge in shots, 16-9, and had seven on target. However, they were caught on the break twice by Achraf Hakimi and were duly punished.
The Czechs have bounced back from that Dortmund defeat by winning their last two league games over Jablonec and Pribram.
Midfielder Tomáš Souček has been in fine goalscoring form this season. He netted three times in those two wins and has five goals overall.
Slavia have a strong home record this season in the league with five wins out of five and just one goal conceded. However, it will obviously be a significant challenge to keep Barcelona off the scoresheet.
Messi getting back to his best
Barcelona had quite a slow start to the season. They won just two of their first six matches in all competitions (two draws, two losses), in large part due to Lionel Messi’s absence with a calf injury.
So it’s likely not a coincidence that they are finally starting to rack up the wins and playing much better with Messi getting back to his best.
Barca have their won last five matches in a row, which includes a 2-1 win over Inter in the Champions League. Despite previously suffering from a groin problem, Messi returned in that match to deliver a splendid performance. He had four shots, an assist, and 10 successful dribbles in what was a vintage Messi match.
The Argentine has since followed that up with two more terrific outings, first in a convincing 4-0 home win over Sevilla and then a 3-0 away thrashing of Eibar. After scoring in both games, Messi now has two goals and three assists in his last four appearances.
Luis Suarez and Antoine Griezmann also found the net against Eibar as the vaunted “MSG” front three looked as good as it has all season.
Suarez has been in similarly sensational form of late. He’s scored in each of his last four matches, which includes his brilliant brace in the win against Inter. His first goal, in particular, was a thing of beauty that will surely be part of the best Champions League 2019 highlights package.
Barca’s away form has been quite shaky this season, with two draws and two defeats in six matches. That includes their disappointing showing in Dortmund, where they were lucky not to lose. Although, it should be noted that Messi was playing his first match of the season and only came on as a second-half substitute.
But with Messi and Suarez in fine form, they should stand a much better chance of picking up their first win of their Champions League campaign.
History
This will be the first time Slavia Praha and Barcelona will meet in any competitive match. Barcelona have faced other Czech clubs before, though, and have been quite successful against them.
They’ve won eight of their 12 meetings against Czech opposition (three losses, one draw), including the last four in a row. They’ve scored 13 goals in those four games and conceded only one. Although, two of the three losses they’ve suffered against Czech clubs have come away from home.
Betting Tip
 |
 |
Slavia Praha vs Barcelona | Barcelona Asian Handicap -1.50 @ 2.17 |
| October 24, 03:00 (GMT+8) |
SBOBET odds have Barcelona installed as significant favourites at 1.41 on the 1X2 market, with Slavia Praha priced at 6.60 to score a stunning upset.
But despite Slavia’s surprisingly competitive first two outings, I’m going with Barcelona on the Asian Handicap. With Messi and Suarez firing on all cylinders, I fully expect them to score a comfortable win away from home.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| = €20 (Highly confident) |
 = €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
|
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
