Zlin V Slavia Prague Betting Tips: Zlin +1.5AH – 15 July 2019

Zlin V Slavia Prague

Monday 15 July 2019 – 17:00 Kick-Off
Czech First Division
Pick: Zlin +1.5 Asian Handicap
Odds: 7/10
Bookmaker: Bet365

	1	X	2
	8/1	7/2	4/11

* (All betting odds displayed were correct as of July 13th, 2019 at 19:26)

Preview: The first round of fixtures for the 2019-20 Czech First Division sees the defending champions feature last, with Slavia Prague heading to Moravia to face a Zlin side who condemned them to a surprising 1-0 defeat in the corresponding fixture last term. Will there be another surprise on the cards or can the champions begin the defence of their crown in style?

Czech Football Betting at Bet365

Zlin Preview – Formidable at home, can Zlin slay the champions again?

It was another satisfactory league campaign for Zlin, the club from Moravia whose superb form at home, coupled with the occasional upset victory, was just reward for a 9th-place finish that meant they comfortably avoided the relegation group. “The Cobblers”, as they are affectionately known, will demand more of the same in the season ahead and will kick-off proceedings with a fixture that holds fond memories.

Such was their prowess when playing at their Letná Stadion that Zlin produced a couple of huge upsets there, defeating both the Prague giants by the same 1-0 scoreline. Those impressive triumphs were among ten victories recorded on home soil, where they claimed the bulk of their points (31/45), scored more goals (21 compared with 17 away) and conceded at a rate of less than a goal-a-game (16 compared with the 31 shipped on their travels).

Quite simply, Zlin are an entirely different animal on their own patch. So much so that their opponents, Slavia Prague, have failed to win at their ground in the past two seasons. Another victory here, as shocking as it would still be, would also be their fourth consecutive victory at home in the league after finishing the previous campaign strongly with wins over Slavia Prague (1-0), Sigma Olomouc (1-0) and Mlada Boleslav (3-1).

Manager Josef Csaplár prepared his troops for the new season with five friendlies, which produced varied success. There were wins over Trvana (2-1), Shkendija (1-0) and Senica (3-0) but also losses to Brno (0-1) and Russian cup winners Lokomotiv Moscow (2-4).

Slavia Prague Preview – Defending champs to avoid another away upset?

The team nicknamed Cervenobili (The Red and Whites) cemented their status as the Czech Republic’s second most successful club by adding the league (their second in the past three seasons and their fifth overall since the country gained independence in 1993) as well as a ninth Czech Cup to their burgeoning trophy cabinet. Understandably, expectations among the supporters are sky-high ahead of the new campaign.

A run of only one defeat in their last 14 matches (W9 D4 L1) was plenty good enough to see them home, clinching the league with five points and a vastly superior goal difference to spare. Although that one blot in the copybook did come in the corresponding fixture, when falling 1-0 in Zlin. An opponent which has caused them more problems than most in recent times: Slavia have claimed victory only once in the past five competitive meetings, and none at all on the last two occasions they were the visiting side.

Statistically speaking, Slavia were generally more vulnerable on their travels than at their stomping ground in the capital of Prague. The loss at Zlin was their third away from home last season (W11 D3 L3), scoring at a more modest rate as well (32 compared with 47 at home). No team conceded fewer than their 12 though, which was easily the strongest away defensive record in the division. While their return of 36 points was still eight more than any other side could manage.

The champions warmed up extensively for the new season with a handful of friendlies. Defeats in June to Ceske Budejovice (0-2) and Slovan Bratislava (3-2) were perhaps down to lack of match sharpness, as they subsequently won their final three games against Austria Vienna (2-3), Trvana (0-3) and Zizkov (0-6).

Betting Summary

The reigning champions are favourites to begin the new Czech season with three points, but Slavia Prague’s short price feels prohibitive to say the least. Odds in the region of 4/11, for a team which failed to win this very fixture in each of the past two seasons, aren’t exactly attractive.

Of course Slavia should be winning; they’ve been crowned league champions twice in the past three years for good reason, because they are a class act in this company. But they were also champions elect ahead of last season’s corresponding fixture and still slumped to a 1-0 defeat. I could be proven wrong, and at 4/11 it wouldn’t be the biggest shock in the world if that were to be true. Even so, the statistics and recent trends point towards Zlin away being one of the trickiest assignments Slavia Prague will have all season.

A conservative approach would be Zlin +1.5 on the Asian Handicap. Which would return a winning bet, at reasonable odds, provided the hosts avoid a two-goal margin of defeat or greater. Under 2.5 goals would have returned a winner in 65% of Zlin’s home matches last term, and in 47% of Slavia Prague’s away. So 21/20 with Ladbrokes on there being no more than two goals looks reasonable.