Slavia Prague vs Lille prediction 28.08.2024 | Champions League

• Competition: Champions League Qualifiers, Playoff Round, 2nd Leg
• Date: Wednesday, 28th August, 2024
• Kickoff: 20:00 UK / 21:00 CEST
• Venue: Fortuna Arena (Prague)

After a 2:0 win for Lille in France, we are headed to the Czech Republic for the second leg of the Champions League Playoff Round, where Slavia Prague will try to turn things around and secure the Champions League since the 2019/20 season. However, considering the two-goal deficit, the bookies see the French team as a massive favorite, offering odds around 1.1 for them to reach the Group phase, while the odds on Slavia are around 6.25.

Slavia Prague are the second-greatest club in the Czech Republic. After three straight league titles between 2018/19 and 2020/21, "The Red and Whites" have finished second in the last two seasons - missing out on the title due to head-to-head stats one year and by just two points the next. However, they got the opportunity to play in the Qualifiers and did great, eliminating one of the best Belgian teams in recent years, Royale Union SG, in the previous round. Now, they are in a difficult spot against Lille, but considering their excellent performances at home in recent years, they have every reason to believe they can overcome a two-goal deficit.

Last year, Lille finished fourth in Ligue 1 and were forced to go through the Champions League Qualifiers. They were super close to reaching the Group Stage directly but fell short by two points. Just like Slavia, Lille also faced an excellent team in the previous round. They played against Fenerbahce, a team that had invested a lot of money in recent seasons, but Lille managed to win after extra time in a very close duel. Now, they only need to finish the job in the Czech Republic, but that definitely won't be an easy task.

Slavia Prague vs Lille pick: Under 2.5 goals

In the first game, Lille won 2:0 and were a much better team in every aspect of the game. They allowed very little chances to Slavia, and in the end, Slavia only had 0.29xG. Now, we believe Lille will try to slow down the pace and will not attack too much.

Even though Lille outplayed Slavia in the first leg, we are reluctant to bet on them winning (with AH 0) because Slavia won six of the last seven home European games. They even had a 2:0 win over AS Roma last year and also kept a clean sheet on five occasions!

Lille have been fantastic defensively in recent games, keeping a clean sheet in the last three matches in all competitions. Also, they are a team that rarely plays low-scoring games away from home. Last year, in Ligue 1, 70% of their games were under 2.5 goals. Meanwhile, in Europe, "The Mastiffs" were under 2.5 goals in four of the last six road games (67%).

Considering all the above, we believe that an under 2.5 goal should be the best option for the upcoming match.