Preview: Slavia Prague vs Athletic Bilbao - prediction, team news, lineups

Slavia Prague will welcome Athletic Bilbao to the Fortuna Arena on Tuesday evening in the UEFA Champions League, with both sides searching for a crucial result to revive their struggling European campaigns.

The Czech champions may be flying domestically, but they have found life difficult on the continental stage, while Athletic arrive low on confidence after a heavy weekend defeat in La Liga.

Match preview

Slavia Prague have endured a tough return to Champions League football and currently sit 30th in the 36-team standings after four matchdays.

Jindrich Trpisovsky’s men are still without a win in the competition, having drawn two and lost two of their matches so far.

They have scored just two goals while conceding eight, leaving them with only two points and facing an uphill task in the race for a playoff spot.

Their campaign began with a dramatic 2-2 draw against Bodo/Glimt, where they surrendered a two-goal lead, before a heavy 3-0 defeat to Inter Milan.

That was followed by a goalless draw with Atalanta BC, and most recently, a 3-0 home loss to Arsenal, courtesy of Bukayo Saka's goal and a Mikel Merino brace.

Despite their European struggles, Slavia have been outstanding domestically. They top the Czech First League table, remaining unbeaten after 16 matches with 10 wins and six draws.

Their 36-point tally is supported by 32 goals scored - the most in the league, and just 12 conceded.

They also come into this fixture off the back of a confident 3-1 league victory on Saturday, which should provide a welcome boost in morale ahead of this crunch tie.

Athletic Bilbao, meanwhile, have not fared significantly better in the Champions League. The Basque side sit 27th with three points from four matches, following one win and three defeats - they have scored four goals and conceded nine so far.

Their campaign started with a 2-0 home defeat to Arsenal, with goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard, before suffering a 4-1 loss to Borussia Dortmund.

They picked up their only win against Qarabag FK, but then lost again, 2-0 away to Newcastle United.

Domestically, Ernesto Valverde’s side are also struggling for consistency, currently sitting eighth in La Liga and being thrashed 4-0 by Barcelona at the weekend.

In fact, Athletic have just one win in their last five matches, scoring only three goals during that run.

The only previous meeting between the two sides ended in a narrow 1-0 Europa League victory for Athletic Bilbao in 2024, and they will be hoping to repeat that success despite their current form.

Slavia Prague Champions League form:

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Slavia Prague form (all competitions):

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Athletic Bilbao Champions League form:

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Athletic Bilbao form (all competitions):

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Team News

Slavia Prague are dealing with several injury concerns, with Dominik Javorcek ruled out with a knee injury, while Filip Horsky remains sidelined with a cruciate ligament issue and is not expected back until early 2026.

Oscar Dorley is nursing a knock and will not be available, while Petr Sevcik is also out due to a knee problem.

Youssoupha Mbodji, who has scored two goals in this Champions League campaign, is expected to be in the starting lineup.

Athletic Bilbao also have a number of absentees to contend with and Valverde is expected to make adjustments to his side that lost to Barcelona on Saturday.

Benat Prados and Unai Eguiluz remain out with cruciate ligament injuries, while Maroan Sannadi is also unavailable.

Inaki Williams is a major doubt for this encounter, while Yeray Alvarez is serving a long-term suspension and will not feature.

Oihan Sancet returned from injury against Barcelona but was sent off, though that suspension does not carry over into European competition.

Slavia Prague possible starting lineup:

Stanek; Kristan, Chaloupek, Zima; Moses, Zafeiris, Sadilek, Mbodji; Provod, Chory, Sanyang

Athletic Bilbao possible starting lineup:

Simon; Berchiche, Laporte, Paredes, Gorosabel; Jauregizar, Ruiz de Galarreta; Williams, Sancet, Berenguer; Guruzeta

We say: Slavia Prague 1-1 Athletic Bilbao

Both sides are struggling for form in Europe, but Slavia’s strong home performances and domestic confidence could balance Athletic’s superior individual quality.

A cagey draw looks the most likely outcome, with neither side doing quite enough to secure all three points.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.