Slavia Prague vs. Barcelona: Preview, Predictions and Lineups

Barcelona make their 2026 Champions League return with a trip to face a lackluster Slavia Prague side on Wednesday night, obligated to go back to Catalonia with three points in the bag.

An underwhelming start to their Champions League campaign means Barcelona no longer have margin for error. Two victories are necessary in their final pair of league phase matches—plus a combination of other results—or else a top eight finish won’t be possible and the Catalans will be forced to participate in the additional playoff round.

Barcelona will be motivated after their run of 11 consecutive victories was snapped over the weekend in a frustrating defeat against Real Sociedad. Still, Hansi Flick’s men have improved significantly since their last European match and are favorites to take all three points on Wednesday.

Slavia Prague have been one of the worst teams of the league phase, sitting 33rd in the table with three draws and three defeats, and on the verge of elimination. Still, the environment at the Fortuna Arena will be euphoric and Barcelona can’t afford to underrate their rivals.

Here is Sports Illustrated’s guide to the Champions League clash.

What Time Does Slavia Prague vs. Barcelona Kick Off?

Location: Prague, Czech Republic
Stadium: Fortuna Arena
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 21
Kick-off Time: 3:00 p.m. ET / 12:00 p.m. PT / 8:00 p.m. GMT

Slavia Prague vs. Barcelona Head-to-Head Record

Slavia Prague: 0 wins
Barcelona: 1 win
Draws: 1

Last Meeting: Barcelona 0–0 Slavia Prague (Nov. 5, 2019)—Champions League

Current Form (All Competitions)

Slavia Prague	Barcelona
Brann 1–2 Slavia Prague - 16/1/26	Real Sociedad 2–1 Barcelona - 18/1/26
Basel 4–3 Slavia Prague - 6/1/26	Racing 0–2 Barcelona - 15/1/26
Slavia Prague 4–3 Jablonec - 13/12/25	Barcelona 3–2 Real Madrid - 11/1/26
Tottenham 3–0 Slavia Prague - 9/12/25	Barcelona 5–0 Athletic Club - 7/1/26
Teplice 1–2 Slavia Prague - 5/12/25	Espanyol 0–2 Barcelona - 3/1/26

How to Watch Slavia Prague vs. Barcelona on TV, Live Stream

Country	TV/Live Stream
United States	Paramount+, DAZN USA
United Kingdom	TNT Sports 6, discovery+, discovery+ App
Canada	DAZN Canada, fuboTV Canada
Mexico	FOX One

MORE: Full list of Champions League broadcasters around the world

Slavia Prague Team News

Tomas Chory and Lukas Provod — Tomáš Chorý (right) and Lukáš Provod are Slavia Prague’s most dangerous attackers. | Alex Pantling/UEFA/Getty Images

Slavia Prague haven’t played an official game in over a month due to the break in the Czech league because of the freezing winter temperatures. Yet, the side have played in friendly matches in recent weeks to be ready for Barcelona’s visit.

Because of the lengthy stoppage, Slavia have a mostly healthy squad apart from Dominik Javorček, Filip Horsky and Petr Ševčík, who are all still recovering from long-term injuries.

Tomáš Chorý and Lukáš Provod have been devastating domestically, and they’ll be hungry to take advantage of a shaky Barcelona defense to claim Slavia’s maiden win of the Champions League campaign to avoid elimination.

Slavia Prague Predicted Lineup vs. Barcelona

Slavia Prague XI — Slavia Prague will be at full strength for Barcelona’s visit. | FotMob

Slavia Prague predicted lineup vs. Barcelona (4-4-1-1): Staněk; Holeš, Vlček, Chaloupek, Zima; Douděra, Moses, Sadílek, Sanyang; Provod; Chorý.

Barcelona Team News

Raphinha is back to carry the bulk of Barcelona’s attacking burden. | Eric Alonso/Getty Images

Barcelona will be desperate to bounce back after a poor result at the weekend they’ll feel they didn’t deserve given an overall strong performance. Victory is much needed, so Flick will likely only rotate where necessary.

The backline and midfield should remain unchanged apart from João Cancelo potentially entering the lineup to make his first start since returning to Barcelona, replacing Alejandro Balde who has struggled to make an impact in recent outings.

The biggest issue hindering Barcelona is Lamine Yamal will miss the contest due to suspension for yellow card accumulation. Roony Bardghji is a strong candidate to replace him. The return of Raphinha is also a boost after missing the most recent match as a precaution.

Ferran Torres suffered a minor injury and is expected to miss around 10 days, meaning Robert Lewandowski will enter the lineup looking for his first Champions League goal of the term.

Barcelona Predicted Lineup vs. Slavia Prague

Barcelona lineup. — Barcelona still boast a formidable attack regardless of their absences. | FotMo

Barcelona Predicted Lineup vs. Slavia Prague (4-2-3-1): García; Koundé, Cubarsí, García, Cancelo; De Jong, Pedri; Bardghji, López, Raphinha; Lewandowski.

Slavia Prague vs. Barcelona Score Prediction

Barcelona played arguably one of their best attacking games of the season on Sunday’s defeat to Real Sociedad, yet much of that was due to a stellar Yamal performance, and his absence will be undeniably felt on Wednesday night.

Still, with Raphinha back in the fold, Barcelona recover their most decisive player of the Flick era. Barça are yet to lose this term with the Brazilian in the starting XI and his form in recent games suggest he’s capable of picking up the slack left by Yamal.

Slavia Prague have been poor in the Champions League campaign, and with their players likely out of rhythm because of the long break in action, Barcelona should be able to secure all three points without much trouble on Wednesday.

Prediction: Slavia Prague 0–2 Barcelona