Sparta Prague in front of the chest, Man City in mind

A fierce bidding has already broken out to see which streaming giant will be allowed to show Jürgen Klopp’s farewell season at Liverpool FC in an extra documentary. A production company has been close to the Reds since the beginning of December and the club is hoping to earn up to €12 million from the broadcast of the final format. An extended trip to Europe would certainly do the viewing figures some extra good. For this to go at least as far as the quarter-finals, the English side must first eliminate Czech representative Sparta Prague in the last 16

This task is particularly tricky, because between the first and second leg of the international competition lies the top match in the Premier League against Manchester City, which could potentially decide the outcome of the race for the English championship. Especially for the first match in the Czech capital, it therefore seems anything but unlikely that Jürgen Klopp will once again fire up his rotation machine and throw some youngsters into the deep end. It is therefore also conceivable that a positive result for the supposed underdogs between Sparta Prague and Liverpool could be the more appealing value

LFC should be warned anyway, as the home side have not only upset several top teams so far this season, but have also beaten them in their own stadium. The most recent victim was Galatasaray in the intermediate round, who were beaten 4-1 at the epet Arena and had to acknowledge the Czech side’s attacking power without envy. For the first leg of the last 16 between Sparta Prague and Liverpool, the prediction of a relatively high-scoring encounter could once again be a good approach, especially as it is not in the Klopp team’s DNA to rely exclusively on the home game in a week’s time

Sparta Prague – statistics & current form

Sparta Prague fans had to wait almost ten years before they finally won the national championship title again in 2022/23. In the current season, coach Brian Priske’s team is preparing to repeat the success of the previous season. After 23 match days, the blue-and-yellow team lead the standings by four points from city rivals Slavia Prague. Seven matches are still to be played before the national champions are crowned in a simple championship round with five more matches.

The fact that Sparta are currently the measure of all things in the Czech Republic has become clear over the past two weekends. Firstly, Sparta defeated Slavia 3:2 after extra time in the cup, and then maintained their lead at the top of the table with a 0:0 draw against their closest rivals and arch-rivals. At national level, the 13-time Czech champions have played 26 matches over the entire season, losing just one of them (21-4-1).

Sparta Prague are still unbeaten at home in all competitions this season

The team’s international journey so far is also impressive, starting in the summer with a narrow elimination in the Champions League qualifiers against FC Copenhagen (on penalties). The Czechs prevailed against Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League play-offs and ultimately finished second in a challenging group with Glasgow Rangers, Betis Sevilla and Aris Limassol. As mentioned, Galatasaray were defeated in the intermediate round. The 3:2 defeat from the first leg in Istanbul was made up for by a skillful 4:1 win at home in the second leg.

The Priske team has now played six international home matches in 2023/24 and has yet to concede a defeat. Only against Rangers (0-0) and FC Copenhagen (1-1) have the Blue & Yellows been denied a win. In the other four victories, a total of 16 goals were scored, twelve of them for Lukas Haraslin and Co. There is therefore no lack of offensive power, which is why the odds for the over 2.5 in the Sparta Prague v Liverpool duel are very interesting in our eyes. In order to even consider a home win for the underdogs, it still takes a lot of courage to take risks, especially since Sparta have only won the first leg once in the last ten knockout rounds at UEFA level (1-4-5).

Predicted Sparta Prague line-up:

Liverpool – Statistics & current form

Liverpool Football Club has had an outstanding season at national level so far. The Reds continue to lead the Premier League standings; Klopp’s side have already won the EFL Cup and LFC are also among the last eight remaining teams in the prestigious FA Cup. In the league alone, Liverpool have won eight of their last nine matches. In the dress rehearsal against Nottingham Forest at the weekend, it took until the 99th (!) minute of the game before Darwin Nunez scored the only goal of the day with a header.

However, international business fell somewhat by the wayside in the fall. At least that’s what the results, some of which were very surprising, imply. The men from the city of the Beatles, for example, lost their last two away games at Toulouse (2:3) and Royale Union St. Gilloise (1:2), falling far short of their own expectations. However, it must be noted in this context that the German coach rotated a lot and rested the majority of his key players for long stretches in the Europa League. Nevertheless, it was enough to win the group and secure a place in the last 16 of the Europa League

Can LFC rely on the second leg at Anfield Road?

Although we are already in the knockout phase on Thursday night, it is not 100% certain that coach Klopp will change his approach and suddenly give the Europa League the highest possible priority. We are secretly expecting a mixed starting eleven once again, consisting of supplementary and regular players, as the absolute cracker on Sunday afternoon between Manchester City and Liverpool is already casting its shadow. This match is likely to play a decisive role in Jürgen Klopp’s thinking, especially as LFC will have the opportunity to bend a possibly weaker result from the first leg at Anfield next week.

The fact that our prediction for the match between Sparta Prague and Liverpool is for a surprise coup is also due to the fact that the English cult club have not won any of their last eleven Europa League away games in the knockout rounds (0-4-7). The last success of this kind was in 2009/10.

If you’re still too nervous to place a bet on the Czechs, an over-goals bet is probably a good one. In the six EL matches involving the Reds so far, a total of 24 goals have been scored, an average of four per match. In five out of six cases, the over 2.5 would have come true. At league level, seven of the last eight matches have even broken the mark of at least three goals. The defense, especially in the expected constellation, is always good for conceding goals. However, the powerful attack is also always capable of pushing the ball over the opponent’s goal line.

Predicted Liverpool line-up:

Sparta Prague – Liverpool head-to-head comparison / H2H result

The only two head-to-head meetings date back to the 2010/11 Europa League season, when Liverpool and Sparta Prague faced each other in the second round. After a 0-0 draw in the Czech capital, a 1-0 home win was enough for the Reds to progress to the next round. 13 years later, we expect significantly more goals in the first and second legs.

Sparta Prague – Liverpool tip

Two Prague teams are still represented in the last 16 of the UEFA Europa League. Both clubs have extremely well-known and difficult opponents ahead of them. Slavia Prague will face AC Milan; Sparta Prague will meet Liverpool. Judging by the betting odds, both clubs from the Czech capital are likely to see their international adventure come to an end in the round of 16. Sparta Prague in particular will be hoping for a sensation against the Premier League leaders.

Their hopes are based on their own strength, which is reflected in their lead at national level and great results at international level. On the other hand, they also draw on their home strength. The Priske team have not lost a single home game in 2023/24 across all competitions. Renowned clubs such as Galatasaray and Dinamo Zagreb have each been defeated 4:1 at home

It is also important not to make the mistake of equating LFC in the Premier League with LFC in the Europa League. The domestic competitions are currently still a priority for coach Klopp. Furthermore, regardless of the result of the first leg, the Reds have the opportunity to put things right at Anfield Road next week. There is therefore no obligation to win on Thursday evening at the epet Arena.

That’s why we’re betting on Sparta Prague and Liverpool to lose by a maximum of one goal and for at least three goals to be scored during the match. The combined odds Sparta Prague (+2) & Over 2.5 yields a solid 2.42 at Betano and is worth three units as a bet.