Sparta Prague: Key players, form guide and other things to know about Liverpool’s opponents
After a three-month hiatus, Liverpool resume their Europa League campaign on Thursday evening with an away clash against Sparta Prague in the first leg of their round of 16 tie. The Czech champions finished second in the group behind Rangers and then staged a dramatic comeback against Galatasaray – who dropped down from the Champions […]
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After a three-month hiatus, Liverpool resume their Europa League campaign on Thursday evening with an away clash against Sparta Prague in the first leg of their round of 16 tie.
The Czech champions finished second in the group behind Rangers and then staged a dramatic comeback against Galatasaray – who dropped down from the Champions League – to earn a crack at Jurgen Klopp’s side.
Brian Priske’s team are currently on course to retain their domestic title, having lost only one league game and taken 60 points from a possible 69 so far, retaining their four-point lead over city rivals Slavia following a goalless draw in the capital derby last weekend.
Ahead of Thursday’s clash at the Letna Stadium, we’ve highlighted some of the key players of whom Liverpool will need to be wary tomorrow evening, along with some additional info on Sparta Prague.
Key players for Sparta Prague
Lukas Haraslin
The Slovakia winger is Sparta’s top scorer in all competitions this season with 14 goals, scoring three times in his last four games.
The 27-year-old is the team’s second most-fouled player in the Europa League so far (1.7 per game) and is also adept at taking on opposition defences, averaging 2.1 successful dribbles per match (WhoScored).
The tricky left-sided player could keep Conor Bradley quite busy tomorrow evening.
Jan Kuchta
The Czech centre-forward is hoping to maintain a run which has seen him score in his last three European matches, with 10 goals in total for the season so far (Transfermarkt).
The 27-year-old rounded off the 4-1 win over Galatasaray in the last round with a composed finish to cap a swift counterattack.
Ladislav Krejci
Sparta’s captain is a man mountain of a centre-back at 6 foot 4, but don’t let that fool you into thinking that headers from set pieces make up the bulk of his eight-goal tally this season.
The 24-year-old has only scored twice from such a scenario, also being entrusted with penalties and getting forward to good effect with neat left-footed finishes (Transfermarkt).
An intelligent reader of the play, he’s averaged two interceptions and 1.4 successful tackles per Europa League game so far in 2023/24 (WhoScored).
Possible Sparta line-up v Liverpool
Sparta Prague form guide
Since returning from their winter break a month ago, Sparta have won five of their seven matches, drawing one and losing the other. The draw against city rivals Slavia ended a run of nine consecutive wins in the top flight (it was also the first domestic game in which they didn’t score this season), while the sole defeat was in the first leg of their Europa League knockout round play-off tie against Galatasaray.
The second leg against the Turkish champions was quite eventful and turned on a red card with 20 minutes to go, at which juncture the Czech side were drawing 1-1 on the night and trailing on aggregate. However, they punished Kaan Ayhan’s moment of madness by scoring three times to cap a 4-1 win in Prague and 6-4 overall in the tie.
Although Priske’s side have lost five matches in European competition in 2023/24 (including qualifying rounds), their only domestic defeat was against Mlada Boleslav back in October.
Sparta Prague’s history v Liverpool
These two sides have only been paired once in European competition before, and coincidentally that was also in the Europa League during a season when the final was in Dublin (2010/11).
The first leg of their round-of-32 clash was as forgettable as the 0-0 scoreline would suggest, and it wasn’t a great result for Liverpool at a time when the away goals rule was in force.
The return at Anfield a week later was no classic either, but just as extra time loomed large, Dirk Kuyt popped up in the 86th minute with the only goal of a largely drab tie. The Reds were eliminated by eventual runners-up Sporting Braga in the following round.
There’s one very famous name with strong loyalties to both clubs. Patrik Berger had seven fine years with LFC between 1996 and 2003 before going on to finish his playing career with Sparta in 2010.
Sparta Prague in Europe
Sparta are perennial participants in European competition, with this the 41st consecutive season in which they’ve played in a UEFA tournament.
They reached the semi-final of the Cup-Winners’ Cup in 1973 and weren’t far off playing in the 1992 European Cup final, having come second to eventual champions Barcelona in a group format which saw the top team advance to the final.
In the Champions League era, they’ve been in the last 16 on three occasions, most recently in 2004. This season represents their best performance in Europe since reaching the Europa League quarter-finals eight years ago.
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