- 1 Slavia Prague vs Lens: an imperious leader meets a wobbling Lens
- 2 Slavia Prague: seven games unbeaten and firmly in charge
- 3 RC Lens: two straight defeats and no punch up front
- 4 Champions League prediction Slavia Prague vs Lens
- 5 First, a word on our free predictions
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Information changes
- 8 Your responsibility
- 9 Responsible gambling first
- 10 Legal age
- 11 About the images…
Slavia Prague vs Lens: an imperious leader meets a wobbling Lens 
Slavia Prague sit top of the Czech league with 17 points from seven matches and they are still unbeaten. RC Lens have three from three in Ligue 1.
The gap on the table is stark as the league phase gets under way. The two clubs meet at Fortuna Arena on Thursday 10 September at 21:00, Prague and Paris time.
This opening matchday sits inside a UEFA-only window, with the governing body ring-fencing 8 to 10 September for the Champions League and nothing else running alongside it. The league phase runs through to 27 January 2027.
The format remains 36 clubs, eight matches apiece, with 24 places up for grabs in the knockout rounds. Every point picked up in September matters when the final standings are drawn up.
In total, the league phase will produce 144 matches across those eight rounds. Each club faces eight different opponents, four at home and four away.
Slavia come into this one as reigning Czech champions, having sealed the title at the end of the 2025-26 season. It was the ninth domestic crown in their history.
Lens, meanwhile, are in their first real slump of the campaign. Two straight league defeats come before this trip to Bohemia.
The form guide is going one way. The reputation gap between the leagues goes the other. That is the whole story here.
Slavia Prague: seven games unbeaten and firmly in charge 
Seventeen points from seven matches: Slavia Prague have not lost this season. No Czech side can better that at this stage.
Two results stand out. A 3-0 derby win over Sparta Prague, no arguments attached, and then the 4-0 rout of Brno on 5 September, seven days before this European date.
That kind of consistency says plenty about Jindrich Trpisovsky’s ability to keep a high-intensity side organised and hard to beat. That is exactly the sort of night they face on Thursday.
The coach has been in place for a long time and knows the continental stage inside out. That continuity goes a long way towards explaining Slavia’s long-term consistency.
The 2025-26 title fits the same pattern. Nine league titles, the latest won over a full season, does not happen by accident.
Yes, there is a gap between the Czech top flight and Ligue 1. But it shrinks fast when a settled side hosts one that is short on confidence.
Fortuna Arena gives Slavia the ideal launch pad. Drawing a troubled opponent first offers the best possible chance to bank three points before the heavy lifting starts.
For an opening European night, Slavia could hardly have asked for a kinder setup.
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RC Lens: two straight defeats and no punch up front 
Lens went down 1-0 at Stade Bollaert-Delelis against Lorient on Saturday 5 September. Mamadou Kone scored the only goal of the game in the 54th minute.
That made it back-to-back league defeats for the Artois club. Three points from three matches is a meagre return for a side heading into the Champions League five days later.
The setting made the setback sting more. 37,356 fans packed into Bollaert for that third league game, only to watch Lorient claim their first win of the season.
As for the squad, Matthieu Udol went off after 24 minutes and was replaced by Souleymane Sagnan. The left-back is a doubt for the trip to the Czech Republic.
The main problem is up front. Lens failed to break down a promoted side sitting deep, which is hardly the ideal dress rehearsal before facing a disciplined Czech block.
The draw did them no favours either. Their European schedule is widely seen as the toughest of any French club in the competition. Starting away from home, in this form, only makes it harder.
There is no early comfort either: Lens must wait until the second matchday to use Bollaert.
And there is no breather after that. Le Mans are next in the league on Sunday 13 September.
Expected Slavia Prague line-up: Not available at the time of publication.
Expected RC Lens line-up: Not available at the time of publication.
Champions League prediction Slavia Prague vs Lens
Our prediction: Slavia Prague to win
Slavia have not lost a league match this season, blew away Sparta 3-0 in the city derby and have just put four past Brno. Those three facts matter more than the Ligue 1 badge next to their opponents’ name.
Lens arrive on the back of two defeats, three points from three league games and a left-back who is doubtful. The momentum is completely with the Czechs.
Starting away at an unbeaten leader is about as bad as it gets for a side short of attacking rhythm. Add the home crowd and a confident opponent, and the balance tilts even further.
The 36-team format rewards early points, with only 24 clubs going through. Slavia should take this chance, and they have the tools to do it.
Factor in home advantage and a Lens side that failed to score last time out, and the pick is a Slavia Prague win.
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