1. Czech Republic – women: overall winner Slavia

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August 16, 2024

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Our pick: 1. Czech Republic – women: overall winner Slavia

17.08.2024 11:00

The first top women’s football competition promises a thrilling spectacle in the new season. As usual, the two Prague S’s will duke it out for the title, but the hegemony of Slavia from recent years (3 titles in a row) is in danger. Sparta would like to keep up with its arch rival.

Last year’s runner-up has attracted a number of new faces to its ranks, both from the Czech Republic and abroad. The number one transfer on the Slavia – Sparta route is the arrival of Franna Černá, whose contract has expired and who came to Letná as a free agent. The team’s offensive line should be boosted by Slovak Laura Retkesová, Victoria Kaláberová is also a new addition. The defence should be strengthened by another national team player Antonie Stárová, who is returning from Guingamp in France. To make matters worse, the team has recruited another player from Liberec, Dominika Huvarova, and Aneta Polášková from Slovácko.

Sparta has had a solid preparation, in which it beat Plzeň (3-0), drew with St. Pölten (4-4) and Austria Wien (1-1), and then beat RB Leipzig (2-0) in the dress rehearsal. Sparta should thus put more pressure on Slavia than in the previous season, when it mostly failed to win the mutual duels that proved crucial.

Slavie has also seen quite a bit of movement in their squad. It is worth mentioning in particular the departure of goalkeeper Olivia Lukášová, who headed to AS Roma. The replacement could be Vanesa Jílková, who is the national under-23 player coming from Brno. Slavia also hunted for Slovácko, when they managed to get Slovakian Ferencová and also Jana Žufánková. Nadja Stanovic, a Montenegrin striker who played in Ferencváros, Hungary, should also strengthen the attack. The biggest bombshell of the transfer deadline is the return of Katerina Svitkova to Slavia. The spring loan turned into a transfer, one of the best Czech players of the present time will definitely help the team.

Her contribution is also visible at the national team level, during the summer she had the lion’s share of the sensational win over the champions from Spain. Svitková is a big personality not only football-wise but also humanly as a natural leader. She showed her passion for football and knowledge of the craft during this year’s European Championship, where she served as a co-commentator and expert.

Slavia defeated Wroclaw, Ruzomberok and Szczecin in the preparation, but fell short against Wolfsburg and the 0:7 dress rehearsal with Bayern suggested that the road to the defence might be a bit harder than last year.

Other teams in the standings like Slovácko or Liberec have weakened, they cannot match the wealthy Prague clubs, and so they rely mainly on youth team additions. They will almost certainly not take part in the fight for the overall championship, but both teams should continue to fight for the group title this year.

What to bet on:

Slavia has won the championship title three times in a row, and this year they are also the biggest favourites for the overall championship, especially since they managed to turn Kateřina Svitková’s guest appearance into a transfer. Slavia had a significant advantage in the derby S last year, also this year the mutual duels will decide the overall winner.

Trust:

8/10

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