The fate of the teams in terms of qualification for the knockout stages in Europa League Group C has been decided ahead of the final round of fixtures. Bayer Leverkusen and Slavia Praha have booked their place in the Round of 32 ahead of their clash at the BayArena.
However, with both teams on 12 points, there is everything to play for in terms of group winner.
🔴⚪️ in 🇩🇪Less than 48 hours to our last @EuropaLeague game against @bayer04_en! 🤩 #b04sla #UEL pic.twitter.com/aI2mfP1N7n— SK Slavia Prague EN (@slavia_eng) December 8, 2020
🔴⚪️ in 🇩🇪Less than 48 hours to our last @EuropaLeague game against @bayer04_en! 🤩 #b04sla #UEL pic.twitter.com/aI2mfP1N7n
Bayer Leverkusen come into the match having recorded a convincing 3-0 victory at Schalke in the Bundesliga on the weekend. That result means they are now just a single point behind leaders Bayern Munich in what looks like being an exciting title race in Germany.
Bayer Leverkusen are currently enjoying an 8 game unbeaten run in all competitions. They have won 7 of those 8 matches, including victories over Hapoel Be'er Sheva, home and away, plus Nice away in the Europa League. Bayer Leverkusen have won 8 of their last 10 Europa League games, with the only defeat this season coming in the reverse fixture against Slavia Praha.
Trends show Bayer Leverkusen have won their last 4 home games in the Europa League and they are undefeated in their last 10 at the BayArena. In their last 5 Europa League matches, Bayer Leverkusen have scored 3 or more goals on 4 occasions but they have conceded 2 or more goals in 4 of their last 6 games in the competition.
Slavia Praha travel to Germany having record an excellent 3-0 victory at local rivals Sparta Praha in the Czech Liga on the weekend. That result means they are now 5 points clear at the top of the league. The win also extended Slavia Praha’s unbeaten run in all competitions to 8 matches.
You must go back to the 3-1 defeat at Hapoel Be'er Sheva in the Europa League on the 22nd of October to find the last time Slavia Praha lost a game. Since then, they have picked up 4 straight victories in the Europa League, including a good 1-0 win over upcoming opponents Bayer Leverkusen at home.
Trends show Slavia Praha have scored at least 3 goals in 3 of their last 5 Europa League games. There have been over 2.5 goals in all 3 of the latest Europa League matches involving Slavia Praha and in each of their last 5 on the road in the competition.
Team news and Bayer Leverkusen have an extensive injury list, including Kerem Demirbay, Lucas Alario, Exequiel Palacios , Charles Aranguiz, Santiago Arias, and Paulinho.
Slavia Praha will be without David Hovorka who has a knee injury and they have doubts over the fitness of Tomas Malinsky and Laco Takacs.
If previous form is anything to go by, we expect to see both teams find the back of the net in this match. Bayer Leverkusen have proven difficult to beat at home in the Europa League and it would not be a surprise to see them score 3 or more goals on their way to victory.