Feyenoord are in decent shape to reach the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League and a win at home against Sparta Prague should be enough to seal the deal.
The general consensus is 10 points will secure a spot in the play-offs and the Dutch side have amassed seven so far across their five games.
They came from 3-0 down at Manchester City last time out to salvage a draw, with two corner bets landing for me on a night of drama at the Etihad.
That point could turn out to be crucial and, with tricky games against Bayern Munich at Lille still to come, Feyenoord will be desperate to reach the 10-point mark with a win over the Czechs.
Sparta Prague still have an outside chance themselves and a victory at De Kuip would move them level on points with their hosts.
But they will need to start defending better, with 13 goals conceded in their last three European games against Manchester City, Brest and Atletico Madrid.
The Spanish side romped to a 6-0 win in Prague last time out, bringing up two bets for our man Gabriel, so Sparta can’t afford a repeat of that dismal display.
How the bookies view it: Four in a woe for Sparta
With Sparta on a three-game losing streak in the Champions League, they are Kwiff’s 26/5 outsiders. Feyernoord are 1/3 hot favourites and the draw pays 16/5.
Head to head: Czech mate
These sides have faced off four times before and Feyenoord have yet to claim a win. Three of those matches ended in wins for Sparta Prague, with a 2-2 Europa League draw in 2012 as good as it has got for the Dutch giants.
Players to watch: Gimenez back in business
Having star striker Santiago Gimenez back fit is a big boost for Feyenoord and he has scored twice in his last three outings. The Mexican is 21/20 at Unibet for anytime scorer and that looks decent value.
Victor Olatujni has scored Sparta Prague’s only goal in their last three Euro outings. The Nigerian is on nine of the season and Kwiff price him at 15/4 for anytime scorer.
Probable line-ups
Feyenoord keeper Justin Bijlow retuned from injury on the bench at the weekend while Ibrahim Osman came on in the second half to make his comeback. Ayase Ueda, Hugo Bueno and Julian Carranza are set to miss out again.
Sparta Prague have Veljko Birmancevic, Jaroslav Zeleny, Lukas Haraslin and Angelo Preciado on the sidelines.
Feyenoord: Wellenreuther, Smal, Trauner, Lotomba, Hanck, Hwang In-Beom, Zerrouki, Timber, Moussa, Paixao, Gimenez.
Sparta Prague: Vindahl, Ross, Panak, Vitik, Kairinen, Laci, Wiesner, Rynes, Rrahmani, Olatujni, Krasniqi.
Anything else catch the eye?
Both teams need a win to keep on track for the knockout stages it should be an open game. Combining BTTS with over 2.5 goals pays 11/10 at Bet365. I also fancy over 3.5 match goals at 13/10 with Kwiff, as that bet has landed in all of Feyenoord’s Champions League games so far.
The corner count could rack up too and over 10.5 flag kicks looks good at 5/4 with Bet365. The same firm also price Feyenoord -4 at 11/10 in the corner handicap.
This UEFA Champions League match between Feyenoord and Sparta Prague will be played on Dec 11, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Feyenoord vs Sparta Prague prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
