De Jong the lone ranger: Barça's Prague return with only one survivor from 2019
Frenkie de Jong is the only player still at Barcelona who featured in their last visit to Slavia Prague's Eden Arena over six years ago.
As Barcelona head to Prague’s Eden Arena tonight, only one player remains from their last visit over six years ago - Frenkie de Jong stands alone as the sole survivor from that 2019 Champions League clash.
The last dance in Prague
Cast your mind back to October 23, 2019. Barcelona were visiting Slavia Prague in their third Champions League group stage match, coming away with a narrow 2-1 victory. The circumstances couldn’t be more different now:
- Lionel Messi put Barça ahead after just 3 minutes
- Boril equalised for the hosts in the 50th minute
- An Olayinka own goal in the 57th minute sealed the win for the Catalans
That night, Ernesto Valverde was in the dugout, overseeing a star-studded squad featuring legends like Piqué, Alba, Busquets, Luis Suárez, and Messi. Add to that Dembélé, Griezmann, and of course, De Jong, who played the full 90 minutes.
The Dutch midfielder is now the only player who’ll experience déjà vu when stepping onto the Prague turf. Marc-André ter Stegen was also part of that squad but won’t be making the trip due to his loan move to Girona.
Bitter memories
That 2019/20 campaign ended up being one to forget for Culés everywhere. What started with a routine win in Prague culminated in one of the most painful nights in Barcelona’s history.
After the pandemic-enforced break, Barcelona suffered that infamous 8-2 demolition by Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals - a result that still gives supporters the collywobbles. Ironically, that Bayern team featured current Barça striker Robert Lewandowski, with Hansi Flick calling the shots from the sideline.
The return fixture against Slavia at Camp Nou ended in a goalless draw, but it’s the humiliation against Bayern that defined that European campaign.
Six years on, with De Jong as the only remaining link to that night in Prague, Barcelona will hope this visit brings better omens for their European ambitions.