3 Sparta Praha vs 0 Salzburg
Salzburg visits Sparta Praha as UCL campagin begins.
Sparta Praha, returning to the Champions League after a 19-year absence, welcomes Salzburg to the epet Arena on Wednesday, September 18, in a thrilling encounter poised to test both teams' European aspirations.
Sparta Praha
Sparta Prague are riding on the back of commanding form, having put together six wins and a draw from their first seven league matches. Fresh off a 2-0 away win over Hradec Králové at the weekend, with goals from Lukáš Haraslín and Albion Rrahmani, Iron Sparta are eager for a European challenge.
Wednesday’s clash against Salzburg will be Sparta’s first appearance in the Champions League proper in 19 years. The two sides last met in the 1997/98 Champions League qualifying round, where Sparta advanced after a 3-0 victory at home following a goalless draw in Austria in the first leg.
An impeccable record of only one defeat in nine games against Austrian teams gives Sparta confidence ahead of Wednesday's clash. Additionally, Sparta’s home form on European soil is commendable, with their sole defeat in their last 11 home matches coming against Liverpool last season.
In-form forward Albion Rrahmani, who scored for Kosovo in the recent UEFA Nations League match against Cyprus, is expected to lead the line in a 3-4-3 formation for Sparta.
Salzburg
```htmlOn the other side, Salzburg heads into this match off the back of a surprising 3-2 defeat to SK Rapid in the Austrian Bundesliga, their first loss of the season after three consecutive wins [WWWL]. Despite taking an early lead through Dorgeles Nene [5'], the defeat marked an unexpected setback for Pep Lijnders' side.
Appointed head coach in May, Lijnders has been tasked with rebuilding Salzburg, who saw their run of ten successive Austrian Bundesliga titles end last season when they finished behind Sturm Graz. With their Champions League campaign now in focus, Salzburg will be looking to improve on their European form after qualifying through the playoffs with a win over Dynamo Kyiv.
However, their away record in Europe has been inconsistent, with only two victories in their last 13 European away matches [2W, 5D, 6L]. Salzburg has made regular Champions League appearances in recent years, now competing in the initial stage for the sixth consecutive season.
They struggled in last season's group stage, finishing fourth in Group D with four points from six games [1W, 1D, 4L] against the likes of Real Sociedad, Inter Milan, and Benfica. Lijnders is expected to deploy a 4-3-3 formation, with Adam Daghim and Moussa Yeo supporting Petar Ratkov in attack.
Salzburg will be missing key players for this match, including Maurits Kjærgaard [Achilles tendon], and Karim Konaté, ahead of their trip to Prague.
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