EXL: Can Draci come back from behind to win the title?
Czech Series 2021 continues with its fourth game on Friday. The game can decide this year’s champions, as Arrows only need one win. Draci Brno have to win away to bring the series back home and have a chance for the title. We looked into the history of the final series and how many times a club turned 1-2 into the title.
Since 1999 there were only five series played with best of seven system. The rest of the series, similarly to this year, were played as best of five. Thirteen times the series went 2-1 after three games, and ten times, it was the team ahead that won the title, of which the team behind manage to level the series to 2-2 only once. This is a good news for Arrows fans. Furthermore, Ostrava will play the fourth game at the home field, where there are yet to lose to Draci this season.
As it turns out, there were, however, three occasions, where the team came back from behind and won the series 3-2. And each time it was between Draci and Kotlářka Praha. These clubs played the finals from 2014 to 2016 and all three series were close. Each time, club to be 1-2 behind took the title. Two times the title went to Draci, who managed to win last two games. In 2015 it was Kotlářka who, after 3-0 and 3-1 wins celebrated their only Extraliga title.
Unrelated to statistics, if Draci want to fight for the title, they need to break their losing streak at Arrows Park. They played there three times this year and took three losses. In May, Brno team couldn’t hold 7-0 lead and lost 7-9. In July game in Ostrava they were also ahead 2-0, only to lose 2-3. In the previous week it was Draci again who were ahead in Ostrava, but Arrows came back to win 4-1. Last time Draci won in Ostrava was 19th August 2020, in the fourth game of Czech Serie, where they won 4-1 and took the title.
