Sparta Prague vs Slovan Bratislava

A place in the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds is potentially at stake as Sparta Prague and Atletico Madrid go head-to-head at the epet ARENA.

Sparta Prague’s pursuit of their first appearance in the Champions League knockout stages since 2003/04 took a hit in the previous round as Brest triumphed 2-1 on this ground, inflicting the Czech giants’ second European defeat this season, qualifying included (W6, D2). With only four points from the opening four matches in the main draw (W1, D1, L2), Lars Friis’ men commence this matchday outside the top-24, highlighting the importance of defying the odds against a more heavily fancied Atletico Madrid. However, the hosts head into proceedings amid a rough patch as a 1-1 home draw against sub-par Teplice at the weekend condemned them to a third consecutive winless league outing (D2, L1). Despite their recent drop-off, fans in attendance should be in for a treat, with Sparta’s ten continental fixtures this term producing an average of 3.2 goals per game.

On the other hand, Atletico Madrid bounced back from back-to-back defeats to Benfica and Lille with a stunning 2-1 comeback victory at Paris Saint-Germain last time out – a win that forms part of a five-game winning streak across all competitions. Overhauling deficits has been a running theme for ‘Los Rojiblancos’ this season, as they’ve recovered a competition-high six points from losing positions, courtesy of winning goals scored on or beyond the 90th minute. Such was the nature of their 2-1 home triumph against La Liga minnows Deportivo Alaves, setting Diego Simeone’s side up nicely for this trip. But there’s no room for complacency, given Atletico’s indifferent all-time record against Czech opposition (W2, L2).

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