Köstl presents Servette: They are pushy, they like to press, they send long balls to four players. We want to impose our game on them

Slavia will open the Europa League group stage on Thursday with a match against Servette Geneva. It is important to start well to qualify, but the home team cannot be underestimated. Assistant coach Jaroslav Köstl gave an overview of the opponents.

AS Rome, Slavia, Sheriff Tiraspol, Servette. This is the Europa League Group G. Slavia got exactly what they wanted. One attractive opponent from the first basket and two playable ones from the third and fourth.

Advancement is a clear goal for Slavia. And the Susians start on Thursday night with a duel against Servette. “We are looking forward to it very much, we spent two years in the European Conference League. We are happy that we will again confront the wider European top,” assistant coach Jaroslav Köstl told the club’s website before departure.

Last year’s Swiss league runner-up is not a complete stranger to Slavia. The two teams clashed at the winter training camp in Algarve, Portugal, and the Susians won both duels, 3: 0 and 1: 0.

But friendlies and competitive matches are a different story. And the Slavs know very well that they are not so good at away matches, so they must not leave anything to chance.

“This is a team that has based it on a lot of intrusiveness. They like to press after losing the ball, they are easier to set up, they have four players up top, long balls fly in their direction. We have to be prepared for that, so we don’t get blown out somewhere. But we want to impose our game on our opponents, to dominate the pitch,” Köstl says convincingly.

The coach of Slavia also praised the good health of the squad, with only Jakub Hromada missing due to injury. Jan Bořil and Ivan Schranz also did not fly with the team, in both cases for family reasons. However, the Slovakian all-rounder is expected to join the team on Wednesday.

Moreover, after the match in Switzerland, the Slavs will immediately prepare for Sunday’s highlight of the autumn, the Prague derby. It will be interesting to see if Jindřich Trpišovský will somehow shuffle the line-up and let some players rest for Sunday.

Source: SK Slavia Prague