On the departures board from Milan Malpensa airport, on Thursday morning, Brno shone among the world capitals. It was there that the Pilsen team left after their fifth Champions League defeat. From Brno, the Czech Republic champions moved to Zlín, where they will be able to increase their lead in the first place of the national championship by four points on Saturday evening against the penultimate team.
A look at the statistics: Pilsen have so far recovered all their previous defeats in the autumn Champions League and have won every time in the domestic competition. For example, after their 0: 2 home defeat to Inter in mid-September, they easily achieved a league success against Slavia (3: 0).
“Defeats in the Champions League must motivate us. We are compared to the world elite, which is the best motivation,” commented defender Libor Holík.
The matches follow one another quickly, so fatigue and injuries multiply. In addition to attacking aces Jan Kliment, Jan Kopic and Jan Sýkora, coach Michal Bílek must cut defenders Filip Kaša and Radim Řezník from his plans and, after Inter Milan, stopper Mohamed Tijani.
“We miss the injured players, but this is football too. We have other players in the squad who are waiting for an opportunity or have already received it. We have to endure and manage the end of autumn, which is extremely important to us,” he said. Bílek.
Zlín will also miss suspended winger Jhon Mosquera, who received his fourth yellow card of the season last time against Baník for pulling his shirt over his head during a goal celebration. He will not even play against Barcelona on Tuesday, even after a useless yellow card at Inter.
At the same time, it is against the Catalan favorite that Plzeň are looking to secure their first points in this year’s Champions League. “Of course, we absolutely want to get a point”, assured Holík. “Barcelona can no longer progress, but I don’t think they will have a role. Even if they come with something, their quality will be the same. They will do everything and will not let go of anything.”
But even before that there is an obstacle called Zlín.
