A goal from the game as a rarity, will the derby be decided by penalty kicks? Slavia wants to learn

It is offered.

“Both teams are very balanced. We need to avoid unnecessary fouls and penalties, which were accumulated against us in the last matches against Sparta. It will also be important to handle emotionally key moments,” predicted Slavist coach Jindřich Trpišovský.

Sparta – Slavia on Saturday from 17:30 ONLINE

The second Slavia must, because four rounds before the end of the league they lose four points to the first Sparta. Given their position in the table, the home team would not disdain even a draw, even if they win, only the last two points will separate them from the championship defense, which is an attractive idea.

“However, the title is still a long way off at the moment,” warns Brian Priske, Sparta’s coach.

The important derby number 311 is played on Saturday from 17:30.

Who will win who can handle the standards?

This was doubly true for Sparta’s recent league matches with Slavia.

After all, in the flurry of mutual duels in the past two seasons, it is easy to see that in five league games under Prisk, Sparta scored only one goal against Slavia directly from play. In addition, last April, Slavist’s unfortunate Ousou himself scored from Höjer’s cross into his own net…

She scored three more goals from penalties, one directly from a free kick and two more after completed free throw-ins by her elite thrower Sadílek.

“For us, it was a lot of unnecessary goals from situations that we now have to avoid,” Trpišovský realizes. For comparison: Since the beginning of last year in the league derby, Slavia have helped themselves to a goal with a set piece three times, while they have hit from play seven times.

Which of the teams will probably have the upper hand on Saturday at Letná?

Goals in the derby the last two league seasons Sparta – Slavia 7:10 from the game 1:7 from the corner 0:2 from a free kick 1:0 from the penalty 3:1 after the car – 2:0

Rest assured that the details will once again decide the derby. Maybe individual mistakes or an unexpected short circuit. Since the 0:4 beating that Sparta suffered in Eden in the fall of 2022, every clash of the Prague S was open until the very end.

Both Priske and Trpišovský are always looking for new ways to outwit and outsmart the soka. Attack headlong, or rather withdraw and wait? It is clear that standards, a specific football discipline that can be carefully prepared in advance in training, are absolutely essential for both camps.

It is therefore not surprising that within the league Sparta and Slavia are among the best in this regard.

“Since July 2022, when coach Priske took over Sparta, the current league leader has already scored forty-eight goals from standard situations (corners and free kicks). Only Slavia scored more during the same period, forty-nine to be exact,” according to Opta data from the analytics company Stats Perform.

Not even the noticeable drop in Sparta’s success in the current season, or the unprecedented spring Slavist series, during which the statisticians counted more than 80 corner kicks in a row without a single goal, has changed anything.

“Scary numbers,” coach Trpišovský muttered when confronted by journalists a few weeks ago. “We are working on it because we have to help each other with the standards,” he realizes.

After all, there are only a few moments during a football match when, as a coach, you can precisely influence the position of the football players on the pitch. The ball is at rest, the executor has time and space to play, which is a unique opportunity to catch the opponent with, for example, an unexpected feint. Do you remember how the former national team coach Karel Brückner was able to surprise his opponents repeatedly with a brilliant idea?

Also, the Danish coach Brian Priske came to Letná with an aura of macho despite standard situations, which he confirmed with his team in the first season in the Czech league. Sparta excelled in standard games mainly thanks to their excellent headers and scored 41% of their league goals after them.

But: since the summer, the respectable balance has shrunk by roughly half…

Deterioration without Loučka?

It’s not just about one man leaving, as some fans sometimes suggest.

The decline was already noticeable in the fall, when Luboš Loučka, who had the standards within the implementation team at his command, was still working for the team. In the winter, he moved to the position of head coach of the second league reserve, and coach Priske promoted the only twenty-three-year-old specialist Jan Blažíček to the A team instead.

“We know that not everything is ideal. When we evaluated the previous games, we saw that we had some gaps. Sometimes we may lack a piece of luck, a better bounce of the ball,” explained Lars Friis, assistant to coach Priske, recently.

He rightly pointed out: “We shouldn’t compare spring with autumn, any more than the current season with the previous one.” Back then, the standards were amazing, we scored a lot of goals, whether it was Krejčí, Vitík or other guys. We have to work hard to get back to it.”

In the spring, Sparta – in terms of offensive standard situations – did improve in terms of percentage, however it still lags behind the great numbers from last season.

On the other hand: Letenský is helped by the most productive offensive trio in the league, which often does not even need any set pieces – Kuchta, Birmančevič and Haraslín scored a total of 39 goals.

And Slavia?

Also in Eden in the winter, they changed the assistant, who had offensive and defensive standards under his thumb. Jaroslav Köstl, who left for the national team, was replaced by Milan Kerbr, who is Trpišovský’s former protégé from Liberec.

Compared to the previous league year, however, the Slavists stand their ground and continue to maintain a relatively high level. In addition, they have been doing better on the other side of the pitch since the summer, where, according to league data, they have conceded eight times from corners or direct kicks, while Sparta have conceded ten times.

This may also be one of the key factors in Saturday’s derby, which will indicate who will be the next Czech champion. And rather than a perfect combination or an individual breakthrough, a well-played corner, greater emphasis in the penalty area or a converted penalty can influence him.

After all, Sparta’s last matches with Slavia confirm such a scenario.