Slavia Prague manager laments Barcelona prodigy’s absence for CL clash: ‘Shame that he isn’t here’ | OneFootball

Barcelona travel to Czechia to take on Slavia Prague tomorrow night in the UEFA Champions League, and the only objective will be to turn their situation around after a shock defeat to Real Sociedad.

The Catalans dominated for a large part against the Basque side, but poor luck and refereeing errors cost them the game.

Heading back into the UEFA Champions League for the first time since their return to form, they will be keen to showcase their potential on the big stage once more.

Slavia Prague manager excited to face Barcelona

Slavia Prague manager Jindrich Trpisovsky faced the media ahead of his team’s clash against Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League earlier today and spoke in depth about what he expected from the Catalans on the night.

He began by speaking on Barcelona’s relatively complicated position in the competition and how they will be hungry for a win.

“I don’t know if the situation that Barça has in the Champions League standings benefits us,” said Trpisovsky.

“It is said that the big teams do not lose two games in a row, I think this will give them a boost for the match. Playing against Barça is a football party,” he added.

The manager then conveyed his disappointment over Lamine Yamal’s suspension and how his team would have loved to play against the rising winger.

“It’s a shame that Lamine Yamal isn’t here. I’m sad because some players won’t have the opportunity to face a player like him.”

Despite the youngster’s absence, Barcelona arrive with an almost full-strength squad, and the opposition manager praised many of the team’s young stars.

“Pedri has a lot of quality, that’s why he’s at Barça. Fermin and Olmo are also very good. Pedri is very integrated, he is a modern player, technical. I like the way he plays,” noted the Slavia boss.

Trpisovsky sang praises of Barcelona players. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

“They are players who have solutions for everything; Pedri and Fermin complement each other. The coach is also a football phenomenon. It’s a great team. Currently, I love Raphinha and Lamine,” he added.

Slavia Prague have not played an official match in over a month and a half as their league is on a temporary hiatus to avoid the extreme cold temperatures. Speaking on how it is his team’s first game of 2026, he said:

“It’s the first game of 2026, it will be an important test. When you haven’t played for a long time, you generate uncertainty about the team’s state of form.”

“Barça has experience with temperature changes. We went to play in Spain, and the difference was 27 degrees. Flick is German and knows what can be found at the climate level,” he added on Barcelona’s arrival to play in the difficult conditions.

Finally, the manager was asked about his tactical ideas for the big game, to which he said,

“We are aware that they play with a system that, in defence, many times goes to millimetres.”

“We are very good in intensity, and we will be able to show that. I hope we manage to create good pressure. Against an adversary like them, you can’t make mistakes because they punish you,” he added.

Source: SPORT