Return leg only a formality for Sparta Prague

A total of 36 clubs will have the opportunity to compete against the best club teams in Europe in the UEFA Champions League this season. 29 participants have already been determined, seven places are still vacant. The last tickets are traditionally awarded via the arduous qualification process. We are currently in the second of a total of four qualifying rounds. The second legs are scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. Among others, between Sparta Prague and Shamrock Rovers. Betting on the Czech double winners to progress seems to be a mere formality

The team of coach Lars Friis already won the first leg in Ireland 2:0 the previous week and therefore has more than one and a half legs in the next round. In view of the superiority that the “Rudí” have already shown away from home, the main question ahead of the upcoming second leg is how clearly the strong favorites will prevail this time. With this in mind, it makes sense to consider the odds for any handicap bets ahead of the Sparta Prague vs Shamrock Rovers match

Sparta Prague – Statistics & current form

Sparta Prague already made a lasting impression in international competition last season. The blue and yellow team first qualified for the Europa League group stage against Dinamo Zagreb. There, the Czechs finished second in a challenging group and earned themselves two Round of 16 duels against Liverpool thanks to a surprising triumph in the intermediate round against Galatasaray. Despite conceding eleven goals in a total of 180 minutes played, they managed to score in both encounters. Sparta remained true to their bold approach and still had to pay a lot of lessons

Sparta Prague aim to win their fourth competitive game of the new season

In conjunction with the championship and cup win, those responsible in the Czech capital nevertheless spoke of one of the best seasons in decades. It is all the more annoying that the father of success, coach Brian Priske, has now turned his back on the club and accepted a job offer from Feyenoord Rotterdam. The legacy of the 47-year-old Dane is now being carried on by his former assistant coach Lars Friis. The playing concept has remained the same, only the approach has changed somewhat.

Nevertheless, the start to the season under Friis has been absolutely impressive. Železná Sparta have won all three competitive matches so far. In the league, there were two wins against Pardubice (2:1) and Teplice (4:1). In addition – as already mentioned – the qualifying first leg at Shamrock Rovers was a success. Thanks to the 2-0 triumph in Ireland, nobody doubts that the Czech double winners will progress on Tuesday evening. In fact, there is much to suggest that the second leg at the epet Arena between Sparta Prague and Shamrock Rovers will once again prove to be a prediction of a commanding victory.

In this context, a potential bet on a start-to-finish victory for the home side is conceivable. Crazybuzzer offers maximum odds of 1.54 for HT1/FT1. Meanwhile, those who prefer higher odds between Sparta Prague and Shamrock Rovers can switch to the Asian market. For a handicap (-1.25) after 45 minutes, Bet365 offers 2.50 at the top odds.

Predicted Sparta Prague line-up:
Jensen; Vitik, Ross, Zeleny; Wiesner, Laci, Solbakken, Albeniz; Tuci, Kuchta, Birmancevic

Shamrock Rovers – Statistics & current form

Shamrock Rovers Football Club have never qualified for the group stage of the top flight. In fact, the Irish have only advanced to the third qualifying round once before. After the 2-0 home defeat, it seems virtually impossible that this will change in 2024/25. With 31% possession and just two shots on target, their inferiority in their own stadium was obvious. In Prague, the fans in attendance will almost certainly witness a similar dominance by the Czechs.

Shamrock Rovers in desperate search of confidence

In any case, it is currently difficult to find arguments that would justify a bet on the underdogs ahead of Sparta Prague’s second leg against Shamrock Rovers. Looking at their history, for example, it is clear that the Irish cannot compete at CL level, especially away from home. The Whites have not won any of their eight Champions League qualifying matches so far.

Apart from that, coach Stephen Bradley’s team is not in good shape. As reigning champions, Rovers are currently in fifth place. They are 13 points off the top of the table, meaning that their mission to defend the title will in all likelihood have to be shelved early. In addition, the record champions were eliminated from the Irish Cup ten days ago and have only won two of their last seven competitive matches.

As the Irish are also much weaker in terms of quality, have clear disadvantages in terms of experience at this top level in Europe and must play to win after the defeat in the first leg, it would be a surprise in our eyes if Sparta Prague were to win by just one goal. More realistically, the Czechs will want to give their supporters a great performance in their own stadium. Unfortunately for Shamrock Rovers, they will have to make sure that the expected defeat doesn’t turn into a total fiasco.

Predicted line-up for Shamrock Rovers:
Pohls; Honohan, Lopes, Cleary; Farrugia, Nugent, Clarke, O’Neill, Byrne; Watts, Kenny

Sparta Prague – Shamrock Rovers head-to-head comparison / H2H record

The teams faced each other for the first time in the much-cited first leg a week ago. Veljko Birmancevic gave Sparta Prague a 1:0 lead shortly before half-time. Tomas Wiesner increased the lead to 2:0 after the break and it stayed that way until the end, although the Czech double winners still had chances to make the result clearer. In front of just under 10,000 spectators in Dublin, the “Rudí” were superior from the start and did not even begin to raise doubts about a commanding success

Sparta Prague – Shamrock Rovers tip

In many Champions League qualifiers, everything is still open before the second leg. The match between Sparta Prague and Shamrock Rovers is definitely not one of them. Last season’s Czech champions and cup winners won the first leg in Dublin 2-0 a week ago and could even afford a narrow one-goal defeat in front of their home crowd on Tuesday evening.

However, we believe it is utopian that the team of new coach Lars Friis will lose at home to the Irish, who are clearly inferior in terms of quality. While last year’s Europa League round of 16 finalists have won all three of their competitive games so far this season, the visitors have won two of their last seven matches in all competitions. In the league, the reigning champions are in fifth place and completely lagging behind their own standards. Consequently, the odds on a win for the blue and yellow team between Sparta Prague and Shamrock Rovers imply a whopping 84% chance of success

We completely agree with this assessment and are therefore convinced that a bet on a handicap win for the Czechs between Sparta Prague and Shamrock Rovers will pay off. For a home win with at least a two-goal difference, you can still get a 1.50 at Betano. We select seven units as the stake