Autumn in numbers: Best away from home and record-breaking attendance
Slavia finished the autumn season in second place, playing a total of thirty matches across competitions. Over a quarter of a million spectators enjoyed the exceptional atmosphere of the Fortuna Arena during the autumn phase across various competitions.
FORTUNA:LIGA
The team played eighteen league matches from late July to mid-December. They are five points behind the second-place team after the initial phase, with a game in Zlín in hand. A makeup match is scheduled for February 14, 2024; if Slavia succeeds, they will narrow the gap to two points.
As usual in recent seasons, Fortuna Arena had the highest average home attendance in the league. An average of 17,664 spectators attended Slavia´s home games, ranking as the second-highest average home attendance in the history of the Czech league after Brno´s unbeatable record in the 1996/97 season. A total of 158,980 fans attended nine home matches. Away games attracted an average of 7,753 spectators. We thank you for the incredible support and look forward to seeing you in 2024!
The red and whites had the best away record among all teams in the league, winning seven out of nine games and drawing twice—in Teplice and Jablonec. Viktoria Plzeň broke Slavia´s impressive home record in autumn by being the first team in 539 days to win at Eden Arena.
Slavia ranked third in the league in terms of attack, scoring a total of 35 goals, celebrating nearly twice per game on average. They topped the league in shots taken (306), ball possession (62.4%), corner kicks (123), penalties (8), and set pieces (693).
The thirty-five precise strikes were shared among twelve players, with last season´s top scorer, Václav Jurečka, leading the charts with eight goals, averaging one goal per 147 minutes. Mojmír Chytil and Mick van Buren followed closely with five goals each. Václav Jurečka was also Slavia´s top assist provider in the league, setting up three goals, along with Lukáš Provod and Conrad Wallem. Petr Ševčík and Mojmír Chytil provided two assists each.
Slavia´s Top Scorers´ Table
Václav Jurečka 8
Mick van Buren 5
Mojmír Chytil 5
Tomáš Holeš 2
Muhamed Tijani 2
Michal Tomič 2
Matěj Jurásek 2
Christos Zafeiris 2
Conrad Wallem 2
Jan Bořil 1
Ivan Schranz 1
Lukáš Provod 1
Slavia had the most effective defense in the FORTUNA:LIGA, conceding a total of 13 goals. They conceded two goals only three times. Aleš Mandous kept five clean sheets in twelve matches, and Ondřej Kolář didn´t concede in three out of six league games. Aleš Mandous had a 75% save success rate, ranking among the league´s best goalkeepers.
The most utilized player for Slavia in autumn´s league matches was Igoh Ogbu, who missed completing the full quota of league minutes only three times. He came on in the second half against Karviná and was substituted in Olomouc due to injury. He also missed the last round against Baník due to a card suspension. The second most frequently played players were Oscar, who played 1190 minutes in the league, eleven minutes more than Tomáš Holeš and Václav Jurečka, who shared the third spot in workload.
Europa League
Slavia performed even better in the Europa League than in the domestic league. They won five out of six matches in their group and scored 17 goals, second only to the dominant Bayer Leverkusen. Only English side Brighton & Hove Albion kept as many clean sheets as Slavia, securing four. Slavia had a unique home record in the European arena, winning all five group stage matches at Eden Arena with an incredible 17:0 scoreline. Their record-breaking win was a 6:0 victory over Sheriff FC, equaling the highest victory in this phase of the competition´s history.
More about Slavia´s autumn journey in the Europa League can be found HERE.
MOL Cup
Slavia also embarked on their quest to defend the domestic cup in autumn. They first traveled to Kroměříž, where goals from Matěj Jurásek and Mojmír Chytil secured a successful clash against Slavií.
In the newly opened Malšovická Aréna in Hradec, after ninety goalless minutes, Conrad Wallem´s header in the 109th minute, assisted by a deflection in the goalmouth, sent Slavia to the quarterfinals. Mick van Buren sealed the deal with an empty-net goal in stoppage time.
In the quest for a place among the top four, Slavia awaits a domestic repeat of last year´s final— a derby.
