Slavia setting Czech pace

SK Slavia Praha may have suffered a record-equalling UEFA Champions League defeat at Arsenal FC but they lead the way in the Czech Republic after a fine start to the season.

Impressive Slavia
Slavia drew 1-1 at FC Slovan Liberec on Monday, a result that left the Prague club three points clear in the 1. Liga, and six above champions AC Sparta Praha in fourth. Slavia have won eight of eleven league games, scoring 22 goals and conceding only seven – the best overall return – and prevailed 2-0 at Sparta on 8 October, their first success at their neighbours' place in 14 years. Captain Stanislav Vlček has seven 1. Liga goals, the leading tally in the top flight and enough to earn a recall to the Czech Republic squad.

Pursuers falter
If the draw at Slovan ended Slavia's three-match domestic winning streak – comprising victories against FC Zlín (7-1) and FK Viktoria Plzen (3-0), plus the Sparta success – their nearest challengers have also stumbled in recent weeks. Second-placed FK Teplice had failed to win their two previous games before Sunday's 4-1 thrashing of FK Viktoria Žižkov, which provided a timely boost for next Saturday's trip to Slavia. FC Baník Ostrava, in third, have registered three successive draws.

Sparta stuttering
Meantime, Sparta have lost three times in the league despite opening with a five-game unbeaten sequence including four victories. Sunday's 4-1 win against SK Kladno was only their second in eight matches in all competitions, a run that started with a 2-1 defeat at Teplice on 16 September when captain Tomáš Řepka and midfielder Martin Abrahám were sent off, incurring seven and four-game bans respectively.

Notable absentees
Sparta's woes deepened when Pavel Horváth was dismissed against Slavia and then underwent groin surgery which will sideline him until the new year. A virus also kept out several key men – including Marek Kulič, Jiří Kladrubský and Zdeněk Pospěch – for the UEFA Cup Group E curtain-raiser against Swiss title-holders FC Zürich, which resulted in a 2-1 home reverse. Although Sparta were eight points behind Slavia going into the weekend, they can take heart from last season when they trailed by nine at one stage yet still won the title by four points.

Coaching changes
While Sparta endure a rocky spell, four other clubs have changed coach. František Straka and Zdeněk Ščasný, both formerly in charge of Sparta, have taken over at SK Dynamo Ceské Budéjovice and FK Mladá Boleslav in place of František Cipro and Luděk Zajíc respectively. Former Czech Republic Under-21 chief Ladislav Škorpil has returned to Slovan – whom he guided to the 2002 crown – succeeding Michal Zach; and FK Jablonec 97 have turned to František Komňacký, who led Baník to the 2004 championship, after parting company with Luboš Kozel.