Slavia Prague and Lens face each other in the league phase of the Champions League. The match is part of the new format of the European competition, which features 36 teams competing in a single table.
The league phase replaces the old groups and determines who advances directly to the round of 16 and who goes through the play-offs. The round of 16 play-off acts as the boundary between clubs that go directly to the decisive phase and those that are eliminated.
Lens is mentioned as the 1998 champions, likely referring to the conquest of the French title. Slavia Prague is one of the Czech clubs that has been establishing itself in European competitions in recent years.
