298th derby coming on Sunday
Trpišovský: Nothing is more beautiful than big games
“It is great that we can play those big games. And maybe it’s even good that they come so quickly after each other. Certainly, a little bit of relax would be better for some of the players, on the other hand, there is nothing more beautiful than playing this kind of games. It is wonderful to play the Derby and two more games against Arsenal in one week. Only the fans are missing,” says Slavia manager.
“The Derby will be always the same, even when one of us would be first and the other twelfth. I will return to the fans again. The autumn Derby was played without them and it wasn’t so tense, and the atmosphere was a bit calmer. The difference between the stadium packed with twenty thousand spectators and without them is immense,” Trpišovský added.
Sparta have changed the manager on the beginning of the year and haven’t lost under Pavel Vrba since. They scored 7 goals against Teplice in the last league game and have won 7 out of last 8 games including the MOL Cup quarter-final.
“It’s a different team. They play with a different tactical, score a lot of goals, and concede less. They stabilized the starting line-up and don’t have to make so many changes as they used to. Hložek is back after an injury, they have stable trio Krejčí, Pavelka and Dočkal in the midfield. The style of the new manager is clearly visible, with his conception and formation it is a different Sparta,” Jindřich Trpišovský said on Pavel Vrba.
Three unbeaten runs to extend
Slavia have three impressive unbeaten runs to extend. The Red-whites are currently 37 league games unbeaten which is the longest series in the history of the Czech league. They have been also 22 games unbeaten throughout all competitions. And they also haven’t lost in 12 straight Prague Derbys. The last defeat to Sparta dates back to 20 March 2016, since then Slavia won 6 games, 6 ended in a draw.
Kuchta: We can make a breakthrough
“I am really looking forward. It’s a special occasion. Another big game after the Europa League ad we want to do our best,” says Jan Kuchta.
The Derby could be influenced by a recent strenuous programme. “I haven’t played so many games, so, I am not so tired. But some of the players especially in the defence could be. We have the most difficult games ahead; we could make a breakthrough in the season. We want to make it to be safe on top of the league and fully focused on the Europa League,” Slavia forward added.
