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If you were to now design a dream Sigma Olomouc campaign in a lab, you couldn’t — the baffled lab operator would keep on mumbling “I’ve only just finished the task”. Through all the victories — first trophy since 2012 and return to the continental stage after 7 years, thanks to a beloved club icon drawing decent football from a cast of largely inexperienced homegrown talent — there was just one ever-present regret: if only there were more people in the stands cheering on. Now, with the clean break from the much-maligned ownership structure, there’s hope for a full-blown success story. On and off the pitch.

It says an awful lot about the previous management that when Tomáš Janotka — whose underrated stint as a Sigma regular, dotted with a couple of national team near-misses, effectively concluded with the first cup triumph 13 years ago — seemingly sided with the board over the fans, he didn’t get much sympathy from the otherwise adoring followers.

That was in late October when he was still known, more than anything, as the successful B-team coach who then abruptly cut some of the 2023/24 veterans in favour of his boys from the reserves. Still, he only just guided Sigma to a rare away victory at Sparta four rounds ago, so he understandably didn’t quite fancy hearing whistles and boos from about 3,000 unhappy fans who showed up at the top-table clash with Jablonec. The-then attendance was at about the same level as the average attendance for Sigma home games in the two partially covid-affected seasons (2019/20 and 2021/22) — a miserable sight, to be perfectly clear.

It says a damn lot about the previous management group that when it turned out KAPRAIN, the investment group elevating HC Sparta Praha’s brand since 2019, is pulling the plug on the takeover deal due to the other party’s “unwilling approach” to negotiations — AKA the Sigma special of late — many fans half-jokingly suggested they wouldn’t renew their season tickets.

That was 16 June. Once again, only a month earlier, Sigma put 3 goals past a Sparta goalkeeper; something they’d done five times in the entire league history before 2024/25. Back then, Janotka et co. were a mere two months removed from completing a rare Sparta-Plzeň-Slavia hat trick across both competitions. Once again — this time to a much more pronounced degree — such milestones became a mere afterthought in the toxic climate.

Fortunately, there proved to be a decent Plan B that didn’t involve just running it back. In what initially seemed like a case of a ‘malá domů’, an uninspiring in-house solution of sorts — SK Sigma Olomouc was bought by Sigma Sport, part of the Sigma Group holding which has, for a long time, poured money into SK Sigma Olomouc — the club is potentially getting more.

It’s getting a clear ownership structure that should allow Ladislav Minář to channel his strengths; purely sporting side of business. It’s, for the very first time in the club’s history, backed entirely by private money; which should prevent the club from taking advantage of the UEFA football at a significant cost of fans’ trust. We won’t know ins and outs of the vision till mid-July when the introductory press conference happens, but the early returns — like the signing of Dominik Janošek on a rumoured 30-million budget for reinforcements — are promising. Others, like Petr Čech entering the chat, might be too good to be true.

For now, the “good enough” for Olomouc equals new building blocks being in place at all.

Looking back on 2024/25

What went (particularly) right

As you can see on the visual, Tomáš Janotka still has got some work cut out for him in terms of overall control over the game flow. What he has decidedly brought to the fore, however:

First of all, Sigma’s attacking set pieces were insane.

Midway through the campaign, I warned about the sustainability of their set piece production, seeing an incredibly high conversion rate (best goals-to-chances ratio) as well as Slavia, Sparta and Plzeň wrapping up their 2023/24 in the 13-15 goal range. At Christmas, Olomouc were on pace for 19 regular-season set piece goals; something they actually almost achieved by producing 17 such strikes inside the 30 rounds (adding none in the post season). Their aggresive inswingers were ever-present due to the availability of both Filip Zorvan (rightie) and Jiří Sláma (leftie), while the well-planned disruption of the opposing goalkeepers contributed its fair bit, too. At one point, Sigma found a way to capitalize on a set piece in four consecutive rounds (something no one else managed), in total bagging at least one such goal in 15 different games (also a league high shared with Sparta), with a total of five opponents escaping their matchups with Olomouc unscathed. Even the mighty Slavia, who were given just four blows all season long, got tagged once. Sure, there was some overperformance involved still, but fair’s fair. Now everyone must be praying Janotka isn’t spending the entire summer plotting a throw-in strategy (no goal received that way).

Second of all, after Sigma took a dramatic step back in positional defending in 2023/24, Janotka immediately elevated them back to the Top 4 where they ranked in 2022/23, as well.

On average, Olomouc were tagged for 0.62 xGAExpected Goals Against (xGA) estimates how many goals a team should have conceded based on shot quality, location, and context. per game allowed when the opponents were building from scratch against them (4th best rate), down from a concerning 0.90 xGA in the season prior (ranked 10th). Through the middle — normally the greatest testament to one team’s superior defensive organization — they were sitting a comfortable 3rd. Thanks to their structure, they also allowed a relatively few counter-attacks to develop (at the 4th lowest rate), with their defensive line working the treat in terms of offside trap (2nd most prolific).

What went (especially) wrong

The thing about Janotka’s Sigma was that, on both counts, they gave a whole lot back.

Their set piece defending was an absolute mess, with the non-penalty set piece xGA plummeting to the league’s basement. On an average matchday, the total xGA value stemming from these situations constituted over 40% of their entire xGA total. Even with a solid set defence, that is unacceptable. Analogically, their positional defending may not have mattered much if they didn’t have Jan Kliment adding value to his finishes like crazy (per xGSExpected Goals Scored (xGS) only takes shots on target into account, including their power and placement on top of xGF., Sigma enjoyed the most efficient finishing in the league by far), skilfully masking the chronically lacking danger creation. On eight separate occasions, Olomouc didn’t generate a single shot down the middle — even Dynamo proved to be this clueless only five times! Kliment’s frequent absence was a big factor, with only one such instance occurring with him fully participating. With Kliment on the pitch, Sigma registered 1.5 goals and 6.8 wasted chances per 90 minutes; without him, the output dropped by 0.3 goals and 2.8 chances.

But hey, all’s well that ends well. They’ve dodged a bullet at this summer camp, though.

Most valuable player (still on board)

Per my MVP model (traditional stats): Jan Kliment (ranked 12th league-wide)
Per my positional models (advanced stats): Jan Kliment (81 overall percentile at CF)
Per Statsbomb’s On-Ball Value (OBV) metric: Jiří Sláma

As long as he’s still on board — something Jindřich Trpišovský et co. may be hoping to change — there is no discussion to be had. Had my MVP model worked on a per-game basis, Jan Kliment would’ve topped it with ease; such was the sheer value he added to his team whenever he stepped onto the pitch. Despite only putting together 19th highest inside-the-box xG per game out of 37 regularly starting centre forwards (total of 4.71 xG), he ended up celebrating 13 non-penalty goals; just like Vasil Kušej who only so happened to accumulate nearly double the amount of total inside-the-box xG (9.28). The average value of his goal shot read 0.51 xGS — that’s basically an equivalent of a wonder save required to stop it. Kliment wasn’t even the luckiest sniper around (though it was close); he was, above all, an uber-effective one. This is also documented by Statsbomb’s database (superior in accuracy), kindly revealed by Marek Kabát, where Kliment killed it relative to his xG big big time as well.

What’s best about Kliment — and what makes him irreplaceable the greatest deal — is his purposeful activity off the ball. He won’t press and generally stretch himself for you defensively, but when you’re in ball possession, Kliment is always activated. He likes to lay the balls off for his teammates, immediately opening himself up as a receiver straight after. That was indeed a big part of his chemistry with Zorvan, and it’s also what led him to participate on a whopping 80.8% of all team goals scored in his presence (21 out of 26!), with his goals and assists fetching an unrivalled 15.8 EPAExpected Points Added (EPA) estimate the value of one's goals and assists based on game state (late game winners = top).. Sigma earned 31 points in games he took part in, so that’s more than a half. Normalized per game, Kliment has contibuted 0.89 expected points per 90 mins; that’s roughly 0.2 EPA/90 more than Haraslín. Just think about it.

Now, to Sigma’s credit, they have already set about replacing Kliment just to be sure. And they have approached it pretty well to start off; no notes. It’s just that… replacing a unicorn is never straightforward, much less with Daniel Vašulín who never makes for a straightforward evaluation himself. So despite the obvious similarities — Vašulín also doesn’t hide, battles for chances/goals created, and was very self-sufficient at Hradec which might come in handy at Sigma, too — the differences are starker. That is especially true in the finishing department where he teams up with the likes of Yahaya, Kozák or Ondrášek at the very bottom of what the league has got to offer. A year removed from being the unluckiest centre forward of the lot, and freshly off another campaign where he was curiously absent from the scoresheet even when accounting for second, third or fourth assists, one’s got to wonder whether this isn’t simply a fixture on Vašulín’s profile. If it is, it could be a rough awakening for all involved.

Chip on the shoulder

carried by the player who’s got something to prove — be it to himself, fans or the coach

Having endured something of a rough finish to his breakout season, it was no surprise Matěj Mikulenka didn’t end up going to Slovakia for the ‘small Euros’. What decidedly was a surprise, shock even: his omission from the testing squad for March friendlies for the benefit of the U-20s who arguably had something important to prepare for didn’t want to make Slončík feel too much out of place. By then, Mikulenka was already a big find, soon responding by boosting his total of goal contributions to the eventual 11 (third on team). Offering annoying, versatile presence anywhere across the front three/four, Mikulenka seemed like the exact type of a player Suchopárek would fancy; yet there was no love left for him. Not then, not ever. In fact, he’ll presumably open the next U-21 cycle as one of the more senior members of the squad, having not featured for a single minute on the junior level.

A proper travesty.

And so here he is, with a sizeable chip on the shoulder to prove he not only belongs but can also run the show — for the national team and the club alike. With Kliment out in the short term (and maybe long term), Sigma will appreciate every ounce of his opportunism. Mikulenka doesn’t shy away from the dirty areas where it hurts, often bumping into players almost on purpose, ultimately delivering 31 of his 34 shot attempts from central areas (better ratio than that of Schranz) and connecting on a very fair 1.29 actions in the box. His colleagues-cum-rivals from among Sigma wingers, meanwhile, landed in the 0.5-0.7 range.

Then again, Mikulenka does have a niche; he is doing alright as long as he’s making stuff happen on his own — or even better, for himself to finish — but there’s not much to show otherwise. Yet. For a second-year regular, there won’t be many excuses this time around in 2026. Maybe that’s me being too harsh on my 2024 new kid on the block (spot on), but this is what a fast breakout normally gets you. Mikulenka is still young enough to make strides.

Inside the off-season

special thanks for guiding me through the motions of Sigma Olomouc’s off-season go out to @LKnajbl, @TomVaida, @tomas_ostransky, @MichalNeveril, @mciprys & @to_bukii

Squad turnover

As of now, Sigma have effectively lost just two players of consequence — who also fall within the league’s Top 50 in usage, and who both happened to underpin a crucial part of the backbone much on their own. Filip Zorvan was the 5th most utilized attacking-minded player in 2024/25 Chance Liga and is packing his bags as a free agent with 22 goal contributions to boast. If Kliment adds his own 21 somewhere down the line, the roster will be left with under 60% of all goal contributions still on the table. Courtesy of two dudes. Jakub Pokorný didn’t provide much value in this respect, but his defensive contributions made him the third member of Sigma’s Top 4 on the MVP leaderboard to potentially vanish. Beyond this trio, there’s not much to worry about. Sigma were otherwise busy shedding perenially injured players like Lukáš Juliš, Jan Vodháněl or Jan Sýkora, actually boosting their (workable) depth.

Biggest upgrade

Last year, I was left scrambling. I desperately pondered whether a recovering Antonín Růsek could be it — and I may ponder again, it turns out. Then, for my sins, I briefly touched upon Michal Leibl… ultimately, and reluctantly, settling on a little scrap called Jan Kliment. Oh well.

This year, there seems to be even less sure-fire options. Tihomir Kostadinov is the wild card, as one of the few senior internationals to have passed by Andrův stadion in recent years. Matúš Hruška is the (too) easy, and potentially inconsequential call (more on that later), since upgrading on Tadeáš Stoppen as an unreliable 1B goalkeeper shouldn’t be a tall task.

So instead, let me reach for my first proper hot take of the summer nice and early: could Filip Zorvan actually be upgraded? We have just been through his team-leading 22 goal contributions, but we have also previously mentioned Sigma’s well-documented struggles in possession, in creating consistent danger. Could it be that Zorvan, my longtime favourite, has turned into a bit of an empty-calorie point-getter? Granted, he spent half of the campaign without his quality sidekick in Kliment, but that’s hardly an excuse for an open-play goal/chance creation rate eerily similar to his low-profile teammate Štěpán Langer (0.79 x 0.76), isn’t it? It’s obvious Zorvan made the most of set pieces — helping to set up a league-leading 8 goals that way — but you may recall that’s also a well-known feature of Dominik Janošek‘s game. At the same time, it’s obvious Zorvan has taken a dramatic step in ball progression, especially in terms of ball-carrying, which was a noted strength of David Tkáč when he was leaving the top tier (73.2 percentile compared to Zorvan’s 5.3). Even with all the key deliveries, the set piece maestro isn’t quite elite in expected assists, and Sigma could certainly use a no. 10 that gets into the box to finish off chances more. All this isn’t to say Zorvan wasn’t a massive player for Olomouc last term; it’s just that he is potentially upgradeable. Perhaps not one-for-one, but if Tkáč and Janošek are deployed sensibly…

Biggest downgrade

It’s not for the lack of trying — Sigma have already signed an Ekstraklasa veteran and seem to be fishing for one more RCB in Slovakia — but it’s hard to fight the feeling that the departure of Jakub Pokorný continues to loom large nevertheless. He leaves a pair of big shoes behind, ones that won’t be filled by quantity instead of quality, and yet that’s what Olomouc seem to be attempting. Between the already-piloted Abdoulaye Sylla and longterm injured Adam Dohnálek, they now have viable options that potentially fall out of the picture (depth chart) if Matúš Malý does indeed show up in Haná. Without necessarily calling either of them a sure-fire in-house solution, Lukáš Vraštil does have the experience and profile, while Dohnálek does have some intriguing tools to be developed further (like long-distance half-space feeding), to eventually step up as the more capable alternatives than the new arrival(s).

That being said, we are splitting hair when the bottom line remains the same: unless Sigma sweep in big on someone like Hůlka, Pokorný isn’t getting convincingly replaced this summer. Out of 61 centre backs who qualified for pizza charts, only two appear to be at least above average in all four sets of metrics (distinct areas of one’s game), ie. vital contributors at both ends of the pitch and everywhere inbetween. Halinský is one, Pokorný is the other.

A case of ’nuff said.

Need left to be addressed

Similar to Sparta, Olomouc are in a bit of a pickle: they still register a few glaring needs while having a fairly bloated squad already. That starts at the very top where the roster still needs a Mohamed Yasser type (rumoured to come initially, but it’s been quiet on that front for a while now) to feel complete. He’s up there with the most convinced finishers (in the top quarter in 23/24; in the Top 3 this year) and could make for a more efficient worker off the ball. His plus-17 foul differential is miles off Kliment’s minus-14 (Yasser is at plus-35 in his entire time in Czechia, btw), and for two reasonably tall guys, there is a pronounced gulf in their aerial prowess (more than 5 percentage points in success rate at both ends). Once again, not saying Yasser would immediately upgrade Kliment — that’s, by default, even harder to do than in Zorvan’s case — but there is at least a non-zero chance for him to do so.

At right wing, with Mikulenka likely needed elsewhere and Jan Navrátil not up to the standard anymore, there might be a bountiful opportunity for Artūr Dolžnikov to run away with it. Like, literally… because running with the ball not minding his teammates much seems to be his particular forte. But he strikes me as a Jan Vodháněl type, and it’s worth recalling Vodháněl was my 2023/24 Sigma MVP. Similarly, you’d assume Janotka will want to give Kevin Huňa (LW/RW) a look — more and more utilized by the second-tier reserves at 19-20 years of age — so you wouldn’t want to block him further. But if you could shed all of Vodháněl, Sýkora and Navrátil at once (instead of extending the latter), a player in his peak would fit.

New kid on the block

After a period of dried out production followed a period of unparalleled success, Sigma’s academy seems to be back at full strength. Mikulenka, together with fellow 2004s Koutný and Dohnálek, can help shape the next U-21 NT crop. Their peer and one more previously highlighted ‘New kid on the block’, Mikeš Cahel, could also make it eventually if he finally manages to turn a spirited pre-season showing into something of note; though that seems to be impossible at Sigma with Jiří Sláma, Andres Dumitrescu, Filip Slavíček or even the returning Filip Uriča presumably pencilled ahead of him in the current left back pecking order (LCB was lately also a viable option for him in the 2nd tier, but that’s no less plugged).

And then there’s the next generation. Most immediately headlined by Václav Zahradníček (b. 2006) who wrapped up the ChNL campaign with a double hit against the strong Líšen and Chrudim at its tail end, and followed the A-team to its main training camp in Austria. He could have taken advantage of the Zorvan-shaped hole, but with Janošek and Tkáč in the fold now, the path to a 2025/26 breakout becomes much less clear. Patrik Siegl (b. 2007) is the Next Big Thing™ as a ball-playing centre back, but he would be a first at this position. If Tomáš Kalas — returning for a loan stint with a €6m pricetag slapped on him by Chelsea just half a year earlier — could barely get a sniff as a 17-year-old starlet on a team with Top 6 ambition in 2010, it’s hard to imagine a 17-year-old Siegl going one step further. Then again, an 18-year-old Kalas was — as Tomáš astutely observes — already good enough to start in Eredivisie, so maybe we are just doing it all wrong. And four full starts in the Czech second tier, which Siegl picked up between April and May, are not to be entirely dismissed.

If there’s a coach in the league bold enough to actually do this, it’s arguably Janotka, but let me play it safer anyway: considering the competition at his position, and some intriguing dynamism showcased in pre-season, Šimon Jalovičor (b. 2005) could have the inside track out of all the prospects listed. He effectively took over from Jiří Spáčil for the B-team, nearly reaching 2000-minute mark in the second tier, and while it’s unlikely he now unseats him on the top level, too, he could at least take first baby steps. Especially Radim Breite is there for the taking if — or rather once — he cannot handle the double weeks. There’s simply no way we find him once again sitting pretty, as a Top 3 most used Sigma player, at 36 next year!

Finally, and now we are getting too far ahead of ourselves, it’s important to note that Sigma’s U-17s have just finished third in the national top tier, only behind the two Prague ‘S’ teams whom they each beat. What makes this achievement all the more sweet is the fact Filip Capka, born in March 2008, already spent the entire 24/25 up a level with the U-19s, while U-17’s top scorer Marek Křiklava (April 2008) joined him a few months later. Could the immediate relegation of Sigma ‘B’ end up accelerating the ascencion of these teenagers to the adult football? The third tier might not be as steep a climb as the second tier would have.

Looking ahead to 2025/26

Below is the team’s current(ish) depth chart with a maximum of 4 alternatives for one position. The colourful ratings are a static snapshot of the league-wide situation on 5 July, and they are just a playful bit to add flavour to it; the names featured should be relevant to this day. To learn more about my approach to constructing depth charts, with all its limitations, head here.

Primary formation

Never in doubt. Janotka is a 4-2-3-1 man through and through.

Notes on the depth chart

I really like what Sigma has got going for them at both fullback positions. From the first choice through the third one, the club is currently set to the point they definitely won’t need to play Tomáš Huk on the side like they did in pre-season. Dumitrescu may be too much for Janotka’s buttoned-up defensive system, as he notably struggled with that part of the game at Slavia, but Olomouc do not completely rely on him, so it’s a fine bet. On the right, Matěj Hadaš was one of those rare pointless revelations that only come about once in a few years. For all the lack of tangible production, his tucked-in actions were a major asset for Janotka. While he may wish for more in terms of crosses and xG+A, on balance, we are still talking about one of only 8 fullbacks who graded out as above average in these three vital offensive metrics: meters gained via passing play, meters gained via runs with the ball, and successful open play penalty area entries. Five fullbacks of these qualities who keep Hadaš company have suited up for the Big 3, while the remaining two are Jiří Fleišman and Dominik Mareš.

And if Hadaš prolongs his uninspired 2025 stretch, Filip Slavíček seemed every bit as ready to step in as they come. He too looks to drive play mostly through the middle, and where Hadaš appears to be the superior passer, Slavíček has flashed more willingness to attack the box.

Where I’m expecting a fierce fight for playing time are two left-leaning positions. On the left wing, the situation can develop multiple ways. Moses Amasi brought some excitement to the fold late in 24/25, but he’s been suspiciously absent from the pre-season (perhaps the familiar visa issue?), and even if he’s not vying for a place, both Jan Fiala and Jáchym Šíp will certainly be eager to battle it out. Fiala could yet receive a call to salvage the CF position, but I’ve always fancied him more out wide. There he’s got more time for his trademark stepovers, which can be both a drag and a useful tool to gain the danger zone at various points in time, typically across one game. Indeed, Fiala has so far been pushed to the perimeter too much, with interesting action only rarely flowing through him (involved in just 14.5% goal and chance-creating moves, compared to Šíp’s 28.4%), but the initial hype wasn’t all that undeserved. The height and technique are there; he just needs to figure this level of opponents out. At 24, though, Fiala might slowly be running out of time and the clock has officially started ticking on Šíp as well. While two years younger, his footballing IQ seems to be sub-par, limiting him to just 0.83 open play penalty area entries per game (far lower rate than Navrátil’s rate of 1.1!) and 0.19 deep completed passes (worst rate in the league), even as he continues to produce some decent crosses and regularly beats his markers one-on-one.

The second spot of contention is the left centre back. Jakub Elbel has apparently just turned 25, even though he’s barely been around the top flight, and so it’s not even a battle of youth vs experience; Jan Král is 26 himself. It is, however, a decent clash of two solid lefties who each offer something a little different. Elbel puts his body on the line often, but is more prone to a brainfart. Král sent shockwaves through my spreadsheet by appearing to be an elite expansive passer (he isn’t, but there is some Janotka’s thinking behind it, with all four Sigma CBs ranking very high in feeding the half spaces), but his main value comes in the form of some rock solid duel behaviour, with Král actually joining Pokorný and only 4 more CB regulars in landing in the 70+ percentile for both loose ball and ground duel success rate.

Roster battle to follow

Matúš Macík, Tadeáš Stoppen, Jan Koutný and Tomáš Digaňa (?!). These four were supposed to battle it out as per this section last summer. Very soon, the first name was forced out of the picture while the latter was arguably never in it. Stoppen, meanwhile, proved my words in only having the homegrown status going for him. And so the chance largely fell to Janotka’s B-team hero Jan Koutný who, to his credit, didn’t whiff on it. Was he an utterly solid option? Not really, but his high-profile mistakes weren’t all that prevalent in the grand scheme of things (he’s right around average in share of goals caused, with 4 out of 32 tracked to him) and his pair of hands was among the steadiest when it came to keeping out mid/long-distance shots. Besides, Koutný is a late 2004 birthday, goddamit, almost a full year younger than Stoppen — the league’s second youngest goalkeeper with 10+ starts. This often gets lost in the narrative about error-prone Sigma custodians: GKs tend to start peaking at 26-27, and Koutný doesn’t even age out of his teens until mid-October. His above average season in the aggregate, and especially the calmness under the pressure (he successfully prevented danger via punch or claim 9 times without failing once; a rare case of a spotless record among regulars), at such a stage of his career make for a complete revelation if anything.

That being said, while I personally may be inclined to overlook the odd mistake for the big picture, Matúš Hruška is hardly coming over to go from 34 full appearances to none at all, isn’t he? He’s a lot older, yet far more volatile, and so I wouldn’t rush to solve an inevitable “problem” with his © Experience in particular. Hruška plays the aggressive sweeper keeper game without the decision-making (it’s always a sink or swim with him, as he almost never chooses not to rush against a long ball in behind the line) and the feet (he misplaced a league-leading 42 passes inside his own half, often in a chaotic situation, and four of his build-up fuck ups led to immediate danger) which normally make a quality sweeper keeper.

Season forecast

It’s always fascinating to see how much of a game changer an unexpected UEFA competition qualification is for a club. In the case of Sigma, it’s basically… not? Or at least not for better.

In fact, Olomouc are now projected to earn the least points in our four years of doing this together with Kuba, courtesy of losing two studs who made the miracle possible in the first place, with an extra (and most vital) one possibly soon following suit. On 2 July, when the simulations ran, Olomouc were down by 3.3 projected regular-season points. Should Kliment leave and not get suitably replaced, they would be docked a further 2.8 points to walk them to the 11th place after 30 rounds. That’s not too bad, all told (Bohemians were in a similar boat, headed for a mid-table finish after a Top 4 one), but hardly a follow-up act you’d dream about. At this point, the relegation is somehow more likely than a repeat; and if the worst-case scenario comes true, Sigma will only avoid the relegation play-off in 71% of simulations.

Bonkers.

Bold prediction

The track record: 1/4. Navrátil didn’t even score 3x, let alone off the bench (none)

The prediction: Sigma’s longest unbeaten run of 25/26 will be ended by Teplice. Again

The rationale: The last time Sigma won the cup, they actually proceeded to improve their table position by six places, going from 11th straight into the Top 5; in a move that most definitely set them up for a sustained success at the top. That follow-up act, the 2012/13 campaign, was defined early — via a 12-game unbeaten run spanning parts of four months (August to November) that remains to be the joint-second longest streak in the club’s history (far behind Brückner’s 23-game masterclass that began here, of course). Of the four instances where Sigma landed on 12 straight games without a loss and failed to extend the streak, two dragon-slaying jobs were carried out by Teplice. Once at Stínadla (1:0 in September 2010); once — and most recently — at Andrův stadion (2:1 in April 2023). Now, I won’t go as far as stating ‘Skláři’ will now complete a hat trick, especially as there would be effectively just one attempt (their first clash is scheduled only 9 rounds into the season), but could they at least cut short Sigma’s longest unbeaten run of the season? Why not? It won’t be easy, since the two opponents directly preceding Teplice are slated to be Ostrava and Plzeň, with Sigma’s noted bogey team of late (Hradec Králové) coming earlier. But hey, maybe it’s just back-to-back wins that will do for the season! Sigma don’t need to go overboard in that department.

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