- Series status: Sigma Olomouc hold a 3-1 series lead after a superb away win at Bohemians in Prague.
- Recent trips: Bohemians have lost on their last two trips to Olomouc, in league and playoff action.
- Head-to-head: Sigma have won three of the last five head-to-head encounters, including both of the most recent meetings in all competitions.
Sigma’s superior squad should hold
Sigma Olomouc will be extremely pleased to hold a 3-1 lead over Bohemians 1905 after the first leg of this 1. Liga Placement playoff and club legend Pavel Hapal’s men will surely be feeling more confident about closing out the series at home on Sunday.
The Olomouc outfit finished seventh in the Czech First League regular season with 43 points from 30 matches, while Bohemians were tenth with 36 points.
Hapal’s arrival at the club brought an extra degree of pragmatism and single-minded focus to the players and Sigma have certainly delivered on that front since their new boss took over, most notably during their first-leg victory at Bohemians. It will be interesting to see how the hosts play this home leg with their visitors’ only real opportunity to gain a foothold in the tie coming via an open, end-to-end game.
Bohemians have a compact, cagey game with a single up top and a solid number nine to lead the line, while the rest of the team sit deep to make it difficult for opponents to operate in behind. Jaroslav Veselý’s team aren’t an expansive side, they don’t like to sit on top of the ball and prefer to be the ones controlling the tempo. However, they can disrupt teams that like to play a high tempo and can pull off the odd upset against the bigger clubs.
Hapal’s side have a habit of punishing home teams
Tactical approach
Sigma play with a much more vertical bias and look to exploit the wide areas with lots of numbers in behind. They are particularly dangerous from counter-attacks when opponents press high up and Bohemians will certainly have to do that on Sunday to stand a chance of advancing.
Key defender and form
Bohemians’ captain and defensive leader Lukáš Hůlka, who converted a penalty in the first-leg, brings heaps of leadership and experience to the back four on the road.
While Bohemians have been a little inconsistent in the last few weeks, winning three and losing two of their last five games, they did record a massive 2-0 home win over Sparta Praha and a 3-1 defeat at home is hardly a disaster. Bohemians need to score at least two goals to potentially force extra time on Sunday, which means they will have to open up and get forward, which should suit Sigma’s counter-attacking style.
Sigma have the killer instinct
Prediction and market
Bohemians may have the better team on paper and the stats certainly back that up, but Sigma have the mental edge of European experience and a new boss with a proven record of getting results at the club. With the 3 - 1 aggregate lead and home advantage, Sigma are worthy favorites at 1.88 with Bohemians 3.68.
Over 2.5 goals at 1.67 is the preferred play here, however, as the visitors will be forced to push for the win and the hosts will surely punish them on the counter if they do.
Match context
A lively crowd is expected at Andrův stadion in a pleasant spring afternoon for a playoff that has everything at stake with the winner going through to the placement final for 7th place, a financial bonus and a bye into the second round of the MOL Cup next season.
Key players
- Sigma have the clinical finisher in Fabijan Krivák, who is the main danger man in these fixtures after his two-goal haul in the first-leg.
- Antonín Růsek also found the net in the reverse fixture, while Daniel Vašulín is another key attacking threat.
- David Lischka is among Bohemians’ top scorers this term, while Aleš Čermák and Jan Matoušek are the creative spark in the midfield and forward line.
- Sigma’s keeper, Jan Koutný, will be key to keeping the visitors out of the game and he has a habit of pulling off big saves in the playoffs.
