Sparta Prague welcome Atletico Madrid for what is proving to be an important Champions League encounter.
For the first time in history, on Tuesday night, Sparta Prague and Atletico Madrid take on each other in a critical Champions League matchup. Both teams are at a high level of pressure in their campaign, as Sparta is positioned 26th in the overall table with four points, whereas Atletico sits at 23rd position after garnering six points from their first four games.
Match Preview
Sparta Prague’s Champions League Journey
Sparta Prague promised a lot at the start of their Champions League run, with a 3-0 result against Red Bull Salzburg and a 1-1 tie against Stuttgart. Since then, though, they face heavy losses against Manchester City, 5-0, and Brest, 2-1.
The four points that they have accrued means they lie just one point behind PSV Eindhoven, who sit 24th, the cutoff for a playoff spot. Domestically, too, Sparta’s form has dipped. Two straight league draws have left them fourth in the Czech First League, a full 11 points behind rivals Slavia Prague.
The team has been resilient at home in European competitions, where they have won seven of their last 13 matches, suffered a defeat only twice. They have a mixed record against Spanish clubs, but they have grabbed victories in three of their last four home encounters with La Liga sides.
Atletico Madrid’s Road to Redemption
Atlético Madrid also heads into this match on the back of five successive victories across all competitions, albeit a 2-1 win over Alaves in La Liga. Diego Simeone’s men are second in La Liga, five points behind leaders Barcelona, while recently recording an extremely important Champions League victory away to Paris Saint-Germain.
Despite all domestic success, Atletico has not enjoyed consistency in Europe this season; the defeats to Benfica and Lille tell it all. The six points from four matches leave them lying 23rd in the standings, with only five goals scored.
Atletico haven’t faced any Czech opposition since the 2012-13 Europa League group stage, where they shared results with Viktoria Plzen. Having made it through the Champions League group stages in nine of the last 11 seasons, not doing so this term would be seen as something of a disaster.
Team News
Sparta Prague
Sparta will not have the services of Veljko Birmancevic (thigh) and Angelo Preciado (knee). Victor Olatunji, with eight goals this season, will spearhead their attack alongside Albion Rrahmani, who has found the back of the net on four occasions and provided one assist.
Probable Starting XI:
Vindahl; Vitik, Panak, Cobbaut; Wiesner, Laci, Kairinen, Rynes; Pesek, Olatunji, Rrahmani
Atletico Madrid
Atletico will be without Thomas Lemar due to a muscular problem, and Robin Le Normand is doubtful due to a head injury. Nahuel Molina is another doubt after pulling out of international duty. Marcos Llorente and Cesar Azpilicueta are fit again while Julian Alvarez, Rodrigo De Paul, Jose Gimenez and Conor Gallagher are most probably to start.
Predicted Starting XI:
Oblak; Azpilicueta, Gimenez, Lenglet, Galan; Llorente, De Paul, Barrios, Gallagher; Griezmann, Alvarez
Prediction
Sparta Prague 0-1 Atletico Madrid
Although Sparta might give Atletico some hard times, Diego Simeone’s side also has experience and quality to edge out for a narrow victory. The result would further strengthen the position of Atletico in the Champions League standings with progression into the knockout rounds very much on the cards.
