Servette vs Slavia Prague prediction: EUROPE: Europa League – Group Stage betting tips on match 2023-09-20 16:45.
A first-ever European group stage awaits for Swiss outfit Servette, who enter the UEFA Europa League (UEL) after being dumped out of Champions League qualifying by Scotland’s Rangers. Manager René Weiler will be hoping his side’s fortunes are ready to go one step further in continental action after a poor start to the domestic campaign has seen the Maroons fail to win any of their last five league matches (D3, L2).
Servette were at least able to head into this clash with Slavia Prague by winning 4-1 against Bulle in the Swiss Cup, a result which ended a two-match losing streak that saw them concede five goals. The home faithful at the Stade de Genève will now want their side to find some form on home soil, with Sevette winless in five matches (D4, L1) on their own turf, a run that includes three 1-1 draws.
With Roma placed as heavy favourites to win this group, Slavia Prague are perhaps best positioned to join them in the knockout stages given their recent European pedigree. Despite being eliminated in the group stages of the Europa Conference League last season, they reached the quarter-finals in 2021/22, while they also finished in the final eight of this competition in 2020/21.
Jindřich Trpišovský’s men have made a flying start to their domestic season, winning seven of their first eight league matches (D1), an identical run to their arch-rivals Sparta! Slavia conceded just four goals in that sequence, and keeping the back door closed could be key if they’re to make a winning start here given that they haven’t been victorious in any of their last four UEL road trips (D2, L2).
Players to watch: Servette striker Chris Bedia has made a great start to the season, netting seven times in 11 matches, averaging a goal every 125.1 minutes. Slavia’s Matěj Jurásek scored the crucial goal as Slavia saw off Zorya Luhansk in the last qualifying round. That strike came in the 83rd minute, part of a sequence of four of his last six goals arriving beyond the 80th minute.
Hot stat: Servette have kept just one clean sheet in their 12 competitive matches this season.