Slavia Praha vs RC Lens

Slavia Prague open their Champions League league phase at home to Lens in a fixture that matters plenty for both sides. Slavia arrive as reigning Czech champions, sitting near the top of the Czech First League again, while Lens qualified after finishing runner-up in Ligue 1 and are currently seventh early in their new domestic campaign. Neither club has met before, so this is a first-ever encounter. Slavia have looked sharp domestically, winning three of their last five, including a 5-1 rout of Slovácko and a 4-0 win over Baník Ostrava, with Tomáš Chorý and Mojmír Chytil leading the goal charge and Lukáš Provod pulling the strings behind them. Lens are more mixed, beating Auxerre 5-2 but losing to Strasbourg, though morale is high after lifting the Trophée des Champions and their first-ever Coupe de France. New coach Dino Toppmöller's attacking setup should give summer signing Thorgan Hazard license to influence games. Our prediction: 2-1