Pátek 29. března 2024, svátek má Taťána
130 let

Lidovky.cz

Viktoria Plzeň aim to avoid fate being decided on foreign field

  12:53

Czech champions Viktoria Plzeň are seeking a point to make sure their Europa League spot is not decided by AC Milan on a foreign field

Veteran campaigner and team captain Pavel Horváth warming up on the pitch foto: © Viktoria Plzeň Česká pozice

One point, and, prestige, are the two contrasting targets of Czech champions Viktoria Plzeň and Italian hosts AC Milan for their Champions League clash in Prague on Tuesday night.

The Czechs need a draw to consolidate their place in the qualification table and the chance of European football continuing next year in the Europa League. Already qualified for the next round of the Champions League — but with no chance of catching up group leader, Barcelona — AC Milan have little but pride at stake in the final group game.

While Barcelona can easily accumulate a rugby scoreline against Viktoria Plzeň’s  third spot rival, Belarus champions BATE Borisov, manager Pavel Vrba does not want his team’s fate to be played out on a foreign field.

‘The maths is clear. One point will be enough and we will do everything to grab it.’

“The maths is clear. One point will be enough, and we will do everything to grab it,” he told UEFA’s website on Monday. “We want to win in front of our great fans, who have supported us throughout our Champions League campaign. We would like to play more attacking football, but we are all aware of what is required so we won’t take any risks tomorrow.”

Vrba can field a full strength team, through its performances on the pitch has been overshadowed over the last week by the ongoing uncertainty over whether on loan midfield attacker Václav Pilař has or has not signed a valid contract with German Bendesliga club Wolfsburg. Pilař nonetheless found the net in Plzeň’s convincing 4:1 league victory against Bohemians 1905 on Friday.

Vrba’s risk averse caution is understandable given that bad luck and defensive laxness cost the team dear in previous encounters with both AC Milan and Barcelona when the Czech side seemed to be holding its own and even had opportunities to go ahead.

He might also not appreciate the news out of Barcelona from manager Josep Guardiola that the Catalan side will use its even more meaningless last group game to try out new players in front of the fans. Barca stars, such as Messi, Villa, Xavi and Iniesta, are to be rested will be rested for the Borisov game.

It should perhaps be recalled also that BATE Borisov held AC Milan to a draw with Brazilian mid-field attacker Renan Bressan looking like a handful for any defense. Even so, in the first leg in Minsk, BATE Borisov got off lightly with a 5:0 drubbing from Barcelona who still had points to play for. To leapfrog Plzeň, the Belarus team need a full three points from a surprise victory over Barcelona. If the Catalans put out any team other than that made up of support staff or the affiliated basketball club, then an alien landing on earth might look like a more plausible result.

In pre-match press conferences, he spoke of the game against Viktoria Plzeň  as ‘a good training session.’

AC Milan manager Massimiliano Allegri, while trying not to play down the Prague game, is certainly not going out of his way to try and build up a run-of-the-mill match for the Italians. In pre-match press conferences,  he spoke of the game against Viktoria Plzeň  as “a good training session.” He added that one of his main priorities is to see how French center back Phillipe Mexes performs after his long lay-off.

Key Milan players, defender Thiago Silva and star Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, have been flown into Prague but will not start the match against Plzeň. Allegri said Ibrahimovic might be brought on for a fraction of the game but might be rested altogether.

Clearly  AC Milan’s main priority is the three Italian league matches between now and Christmas. The Prague stopover and Plzeň opposition on Tuesday night is at worst a distraction, at best a workout, for the more pressing target of catching up the two point Serie A gap with league leaders Juventus.

Zvolte jméno roku 2024 a vyhrajte Nutrilon a Hami v celkové hodnotě 130.000 Kč
Zvolte jméno roku 2024 a vyhrajte Nutrilon a Hami v celkové hodnotě 130.000 Kč

Každý týden můžete získat zajímavé balíčky od značek Nutrilon a Hami v celkové hodnotě 130.000 Kč. Hrajte s námi a získejte hlavní výhru, balíček s...