It’s getting close to European time once more
for Sligo Rovers. Albania (09/10), Ukraine (11/12)...where to next? This time
we enter in Qualifying Round 2 where we will be unseeded and the games take
place July 19th and 26th. The draw takes place Monday,
June 25th and there is a wide range of opposition we could face. Can
Ian Baraclough go one better than Paul Cook and pick up a win in Europe? Here’s
one potential opponent...
FC Viktoria Plzeň
 |
| Štruncovy Sady Stadion |
They play their
home games in Štruncovy Sady Stadion (currently known as ‘Doosan Arena’ due to
sponsorship) which has a capacity of 12,500. They have had limited success in
the Czech league winning the league just once in the 10/11 season. They have also
won twice in 70/71 and 09/10. They also currently hold the Czech Super cup
trophy beating national cup winners FK Mladá Boleslav 4-2 in a penalty
shoot-out in July 2011.
Euro Record
They have qualified
for Europe on 3 previous occasions with their best European stint coming in the
11/12 season where they qualified for the group stages of the Champions League
beating Pyunik Yerevan, Rosenborg and FC Copenhagen along the way. They were
then placed in a tough group alongside Barcelona, A.C. Milan and Bate Borisov
where they finished 3rd with a respectable 5 points, including a late
point at home to Milan. They have never faced Irish opponents.
Squad and Management
 |
| Marek Bakoš |
They are managed by
48 year old Czech Pavel Vrba, who has been in the role since 2008. As well as
the Czech national league, he has also won the Slovakian Superleague with MŠK
Žilina in 06/07. He also spent some time as Assistant Manager of the Slovakian
national team.
Marek Bakoš is
Viktoria’s danger man up front finishing the 11/12 season as the leagues’ 2nd
highest goal-scorer with 16 league goals, helping him to his first
international cap with Slovakia in February 2012 against Turkey, at the age of
28. Their squad is made up of mainly Czech nationals, some of whom have
represented their country at international level including Daniel Kolář (9 caps)
and Pavel Horváth (19 caps). In 2007 Horváth was fined while playing for Sparta
Prague for performing a Nazi salute towards the fans. Horváth denied he was
doing a Nazi salute, claiming he was just trying to calm the fans down.
Plzeň is located 90
kilometres west from the capital city of Prague. It is the 4th most
populated city in Czech Republic with a population of 172,932 people. The city
is known mainly as an industrial city. The city is well known for Pilsner beer,
which was first produced in the city in 1842, as well as car manufacturer Škoda. In 2015 Plzeň will be the European Capital of Culture
along with Mons in Belgium.
 |
| St. Bartholomew's Gothic Cathedral |
Popular tourist
attractions include St. Bartholomew's
gothic cathedral, Pilsen Zoo and Pilsner Urquell brewery where you can take a
tour and learn the history of the beer brewed there. The Pilsner
Fest is also a popular event held around September every year, it is a beer
festival celebrating the birthday of Pilsner Urquell brewery. There are
also several museums including a puppet museum, ghost museum and a ‘Techmania’
science centre.
Getting There
There are no direct
flights to Plzeň. However, Aer Lingus fly to Prague from Dublin and from there
it is quite easy to get a train or bus to Plzeň. The journey by train takes about
40mins while a bus takes around an hour. There is a regular service throughout
the day.
Plzeň is also
located close to the German border and the city is accessed easily on the
Munich to Prague train line. Aer Lingus fly to Munich from both Dublin and Cork
while Lufthansa also fly from Dublin.
Cost
Plzeň is a very
cheap city in general and is a cheaper alternative to the capital of Prague, with
a meal in an average restaurant likely to cost around €5. 500ml of local beer
is around €1. Local transport costs an average of 60cent one way.
Other
Information
Club Nickname: The Rudi (Reds)
Average Attendance: 7,009
Club Website: http://www.fcviktoria.cz/cs/
Forum: http://www.pfans.cz/forum/
Currency: Koruna (Kč)
Average High Temperature
(July): 22°C
Average Low Temperature
(July): 12°C
Phrases
(Pronunciation in brackets)
Hello - Dobrý den (Dobree
den)
Yes - Ano (A-no)
No – Ne (Ne)
Thank you - Děkuji (Die-ku-yi)
One beer please - Jedno
pivo prosím (Yeddno pivo prosim)
How much? - Kolik?
(Ko-leek)
Water/Coffee/Wine - Voda/Kava/Vino (vo-da/ka-va/vee-no)
Is it? - Je to tak?
I will call the police - Já zavolám na policii
Have
you seen McHugh? - Viděli jste McHugh?
I am from town - Jsem z města.
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