Viktoria Plzeň

A new European away trip to the Czech Republic awaits. On Thursday evening (6:45 PM), Sporting will face FC Viktoria Plzeň at the Stadion města Plzně. The Mauves have amassed 14 points after six matchdays and will defend their unbeaten status in the Europa League in Plzeň. This is a historic occasion, as the two clubs have never met before. Let’s take a closer look at our second Czech opponent in this campaign.

Viktoria Plzeň is still fighting for a ticket to the top 8. The Czech side defeated Real Sociedad (2-1), like the Mauves, and they returned from Kyiv with a 1-2 victory. They have drawn three times: against PAOK (GRE), Ludogorets (BUL), and Frankfurt (GER). However, on the previous matchday, they suffered a home defeat to Manchester United (1-2).

After six matchdays, Viktoria Plzeň has nine points in the league phase of the Europa League. The Czech club had to survive two qualifying rounds last summer to secure a spot in the group stage. They defeated Ukrainian side Kryvbas and Scottish side Hearts to advance to the revamped league phase.

Recent domestic success

FC Viktoria Plzeň was founded in 1911, but the club’s greatest domestic successes have come only recently. In 2010, Viktoria won the Czech Cup, marking their first major trophy in club history. A year later, they added their first league title. Since the independence of the Czech Republic in 1993, Viktoria Plzeň has been crowned national champions six times and has also won the national cup once.

These recent successes have made Viktoria a regular presence in European competitions. Since the 2010/2011 season, they have consistently participated in European tournaments. One of their standout European moments came in the 1971 Cup Winners’ Cup. At home, Viktoria defeated Bayern Munich—featuring stars like Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd Müller—2-1 in the first round, though the return leg in Germany ended in a 6-1 loss.

Second in the Czech League

Plzeň currently occupies second place in the Czech domestic league, between the two clubs from the capital, Prague. Slavia Prague—Purple-White’s opponent on the previous matchday, which ended in a 1-2 victory for Sporting thanks to goals from Angulo and Verschaeren—is the proud leader of the Chance Liga. The capital club holds a seven-point lead over Viktoria Plzeň and a 13-point advantage over their city rivals, Sparta Prague.

Viktoria boasts several Czech internationals worth watching on Thursday evening. Attacking midfielder Pavel Šulc—valued at €10 million according to Transfermarkt—is the club’s highest-rated player and has already scored 10 goals and delivered 6 assists across all competitions this season. Another key player is Matej Vydra, who has earned 46 caps, scoring 7 goals, and representing his country at the 2020 European Championship. This season, he has netted three goals in the Europa League. His compatriot Daniel Vasulín and Ghanaian forward Prince Kwabena Adu have each scored twice.

On Thursday evening, the Mauves will aim to take a decisive step toward the top 8, a strong ranking that would also allow them to avoid the playoffs. Kickoff at the Stadion města Plzně at 6:45 PM.

Final showdown against Hoffenheim

The final verdict will fall next week, on Thursday, January 30th (9 PM) at the Lotto Park. RSCA will host the Germans from Hoffenheim for the last match of the competition phase. The stadium is already 95% full. Get your last tickets now and drive Sporting to victory.

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On Thursday evening, RSC Anderlecht traveled to the Czech Republic for the seventh matchday of the league phase of the UEFA Europa League. The Mauves suffered a 2-0 defeat against Viktoria Plzeň. Next week, they will need to set things straight in their home match against Hoffenheim, which will decide Sporting’s fate.

The home team came out of the gates firing and opened the scoring after barely three minutes through Lukas Červ. To make matters worse, the referee awarded a soft penalty to the Czechs ten minutes later. Fortunately for Sporting, Pavel Šulc’s weak shot was easily saved by Colin Coosemans. It took over 20 minutes for the first on-target attempt from the Brussels side, but Tristan Degreef’s shot posed no threat to the goalkeeper. Just before halftime, Prince Adu capitalized on a defensive error. His lob hit the underside of the crossbar and bounced on the line, but Jan-Carlo Simić managed to clear the ball just in front of Matej Vydra. It was merely a delay, however, as Prince Adu doubled the lead shortly afterward with a well-executed team play. Halftime score: 2-0.

During the break, Ali Maamar was replaced by Yari Verschaeren, but once again, it was the Czechs who started strong. Colin Coosemans had to intervene immediately on a powerful strike from Prince Adu. After an hour of play, coach David Hubert decided to go all-in, bringing on Thorgan Hazard, Francis Amuzu, and Killian Sardella for Nilson Angulo, Tristan Degreef, and Thomas Foket. Viktoria, however, hit the woodwork for the second time shortly after, with a cross-shot from Cadu. Matej Vydra failed to take advantage of the rebound. Despite the substitutions, the Brussels side struggled to create any significant chances. Prince Adu, on the other hand, hit the post for the third time, yet another stroke of bad luck for the Czechs. The European night ended in disappointment for the Mauves, who must step up next week at home against the German side Hoffenheim to make up for this performance.