Viktoria Plzen vs Servette: UEFA Champions League Prediction (23.07.2025)

On Tuesday, July 23 at 00:00 WIB, Viktoria Plzen will host Swiss side Servette at Doosan Arena in Plzen for the first leg of the UEFA Champions League 2025–2026 qualifying round. The Czech team enters this stage as runners-up of their domestic league, while the Geneva-based club also finished second in the Swiss Super League.

In the Viktoria Plzen vs Servette matchup, bookmakers slightly favor the Czech side. A bet on the “Red and Blues” to win the first leg is offered at odds of 1.72, and at 1.60 for them to advance to the next qualification round. Meanwhile, for Servette, the odds for a first-leg win are 4.80 and 2.34 to go through. A moderate number of goals is expected in the first leg: over 2.5 goals is priced at 1.82, and both teams to score is at 1.77.

Viktoria Plzen

Experienced coach Miroslav Koubek, who has been leading the team since 2023, opted for an intensive preseason training period. In June and July, the “Red and Blues” played eight friendly matches — mostly against relatively weaker Eastern European sides, although they also faced German club Bochum.

Last spring, Viktoria reached the Round of 16 in the UEFA Europa League, where they put up strong resistance against Lazio — losing 1-2 at home and drawing 1-1 away. Clearly, the Czech club has ambitions to reach the main stage of the Champions League.

Servette

Thomas Häberli’s squad appears more modest in both squad depth and finances. Last year, under his early leadership, the team failed to reach the main stage of the UEFA Conference League, having been eliminated by Chelsea in the final qualification round. There were no major signings during the summer transfer window. Servette intends to continue the upcoming season with largely the same squad, so analysts do not expect major surprises from the Swiss side.

Stats and Head-to-Head Record

In March 2024, these teams faced off in the Round of 16 of the UEFA Conference League. Both legs ended goalless, and Viktoria Plzen advanced to the quarterfinals after winning on penalties.

Prediction

Both teams typically don’t score many goals in matches against similarly ranked opponents. The first leg, being the first competitive game after a break, is expected to resemble a cautious, tactical encounter, with both sides avoiding risks and postponing decisive action until the second leg. For the match in the Czech Republic, we suggest a combined bet: Viktoria Plzen not to lose and total goals under 3.5, priced at 1.70.