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UEFA Champions League - Sparta Praha VS Inter Milan
UEFA Champions League - AC Sparta Prague VS Inter Milan
Match Time:23-01-2025 04:00 Thursday (GMT+8)
Football Livescore | Match Prediction & Tips
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Sparta Prague
Sparta has faced Inter four times in European competitions, securing just one victory while losing the others. However, Wednesday's clash will mark the first meeting of the clubs in the main European tournament.
In the previous round, the Czech champions suffered a 4-2 defeat to Feyenoord, conceding three goals within the first thirty minutes. Overall, Sparta has lost their last four Champions League matches, shipping 17 goals in the process. Despite a bright start to the campaign with a 3-0 win against Salzburg and a 1-1 draw in Stuttgart, Sparta must now win their final two matches to have any hopes of advancing to the top 24. Yet, the statistics paint a grim picture. Not only have they won just one of their last 20 Champions League matches in the group stage, but they also had their proud 12-match unbeaten streak at home ended this season with a 2-1 loss to Brest, followed by the heaviest defeat in tournament history - a 6-0 drubbing by Atletico.
Having started the season unbeaten in 15 matches, Sparta has since lost eight of their last 17 games, keeping a clean sheet in just one of their last 10 matches. They are now not even second in the Czech Championship table but have slipped to third.
After their last official match - a win over Jablonec before the winter break - coach Lars Friis took the team to a training camp in Spain where they secured victories in friendlies against Malmo and Bodo/Glimt. During their training in Marbella, Sparta worked on various tactics they will need for the spring hunt against Slavia and Viktoria.
Before the New Year, Sparta struggled with numerous injuries, but the situation is gradually improving. Albion Rrahmani is now training individually, Lukas Haraslin has returned to the main group, and Veljko Birmancevic is expected to be ready for the match against Inter.
"Inter will be better prepared than us. While we had a break, they played 9 matches," said Lars Friis.
Inter Milan
Inter lost to Bayer in the 7th round of the Champions League, conceding their first goal of the tournament this season. Simone Inzaghi's team has only lost three of their 29 matches this season across all competitions: twice to Milan and once in Leverkusen. However, with victories over Sparta and Monaco, Inter can guarantee themselves a spot in the Champions League Round of 16.
On Sunday, the Nerazzurri defeated Empoli in Serie A: Lautaro Martinez opened the scoring, Dumfries netted for the fourth time in five matches, and top scorer Marcus Thuram came off the bench to seal the victory. Their recent 1-0 win over Venezia marked Inter's sixth consecutive away victory in Serie A without conceding - a new club record. Moreover, Inter has not lost to Czech opponents in the Champions League so far, thus traveling to Prague as clear favorites.
"Tomorrow's match is very important, and we know it. It will be a tough game, and I will need an aggressive Inter. Sparta is a strong team that started this Champions League well before suffering defeats to very tough opponents. I still have some doubts about the lineup, as it has not been 48 hours since the match against Empoli. I will decide everything in the morning. Frattesi has trained well both yesterday and today. He started on the bench against Empoli despite not being in shape, but now it's different: I’m considering whether to start him instead of Barella, who has been starting for the last seven games. In any case, even if he comes off the bench, I’m confident Davide will provide us with significant help," stated Simone Inzaghi.
In the absence of the injured Calhanoglu, Zielinski and Asllani are vying for a position. Another unavailable player is Acerbi, who has also picked up an injury.
Sparta Prague possible starting lineup:
Jensen; Vitik, Panak, Zelezny; Wiesner, Laci, Kairinen, Rynes; Birmancevic, Olatunji, Rrahmani
Inter Milan possible starting lineup:
Sommer; Pavard, De Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Asllani, Zielinski, Dimarco; Martinez, Thuram
Prediction: Sparta Prague 0-2 Inter Milan
Sparta Prague have spent 60% of their Champions League games trailing this season, while Inter have been behind for less than 1% of theirs so far. That demonstrates the gulf between the two sides, so Italy's reigning champions should stroll to maximum points and potentially eliminate their hosts.
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