In view of the opponents that AS Monaco could have met for its entry into the running in the preliminary rounds of the C1 (PSV Eindhoven, Spartak Moscow for example), to face Sparta Prague in a double confrontation (on August 3 in Czech Republic, 10 to Louis II) is rather a good print on paper.
Sparta Prague is no longer a prophet in its country since 2014
First champion and most successful club in the local championship (12) founded in 1993 after the dismantling of Czechoslovakia, Sparta Prague is not going through the most prosperous period in its history. More sacred since 2014 on his home soil, he has seen Viktoria Plzen and his rival, Slavia Prague, share the last six titles.
He hasn’t reached the CL group stage in ages
We have to go back to the 2005-2006 season to see a trace of Sparta Prague in the group stage of LDC. At the time, the Czech team finished fourth in their group (along with Ajax, FC Thun and Arsenal). Since then, she can not get rid of the preliminary rounds of C1 when she participates.
Some sparks in the Europa League
Little to be feared in the Champions League for fifteen years, Sparta Prague has shown that it is capable of a few blows in C3. As proof, the Czechs had reached the quarterfinals of the Europa League 2015-2016 after having notably released Lazio Rome in the 8th. Villareal had shown himself stronger afterwards. The following year, in 2016-2017, they managed to win four matches in the group stage, including against Southampton (1-0) and against Inter Milan (3-1). It does not seem so easy to win at the Generali Arena which could accommodate at least 5,000 people for the first leg.
Beaten twice by LOSC last season
Falling into the LOSC group last season in C3, the most successful club in the Czech Republic has not made old bones in the competition. Third in the group thanks to his two successes (4-1) against Celtic Glasgow, he was also torpedoed by the Mastiffs on the same score (1-4) and lost in the North (2-1) . “We took advantage of the favorable circumstances, the numerical superiority and what was happening in their championship. We surfed on an excellent game from Yusuf (Yazici). Prague is a very good team. They really have some big strengths. I am not surprised that he is still in the battle for qualification ” had paid tribute to them last season the former coach of Lille, Christophe Galtier, after the great success.
A young goalscorer in the making at the forefront of the attack
This double confrontation against ASM will perhaps be the opportunity to discover the biggest talent in the making of Sparta Prague. Only 19 years old and starting on the attacking front, Adam Hlozek has the profile and statistics of a player to follow this year. Author of 15 goals in 19 matches last season, he is valued at 17 million euros on the market by Transfermarkt.
The info in +: Sparta Prague resumed its domestic championship on July 24 with a victory (3-2) against Sigma Olomouc. He will visit Slovan Liberec on the 31st before receiving the ASM on August 3.
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