Liberec lead Czech pack

Liberec run
Liberec won their first five matches before giving their rivals hope on Sunday when they dropped points in a 1-1 draw at FC Baník Ostrava. Playing with ten men after Pavel Koštál's dismissal, Liberec's Tomáš Zápotocný converted a late penalty to cancel out Tomáš Janu's own goal.

Sparta rudderless
Champions Sparta are all at sea and suffered a second seasonal defeat at 1. FC Slovácko at the weekend. A debut goal from Hungarian striker Thomas Sowunmi and a second from ex-Sparta player Vladimír Malár earned Slovácko's victory. With Sparta fifth in the table, fans are calling for coach Jaroslav Hrebík to resign.

Teplice challenging
FK Teplice, who impressed in drawing against Spanish side RCD Espanyol in the UEFA Cup last week, are second after coming from behind to beat promoted FC Viktoria Plzen 2-1. Tomáš Hunal's strike and a late own goal from Martin Knakal left Teplice three points behind Liberec.

Baník revival
Fellow UEFA Cup hopefuls Baník can only dream of such a position after slumping to second-from-bottom. Since replacing Jozef Jarabinský as coach, Pavel Hapal has overseen two league draws, although a UEFA Cup win against Dutch team SC Heerenveen may indicate better times ahead.

Slavia shiftless
SK Slavia Praha are also hoping for improved fortunes. Billed as Sparta's main title rivals, they occupy ninth place having claimed only their second win against FC Zlín on Sunday. Pavel Fort returned from the reserves to score the only goal.

Surprise contenders
With the Prague giants struggling, FK Mladá Boleslav are the surprise contenders, reaching third spot with a 3-2 triumph at SK Sigma Olomouc. Coach Dušan Uhrin Jr is proving football runs in the family - his father, Dušan Uhrin Sr, led the Czech Republic to the final of EURO '96™.