Sparta Prague's chances of advancing are minimal, and now they have to host the team that was in the final less than two years ago – Inter Milan.
The Champions League campaign started in the best way for Sparta Prague after they won their first match 3-0 against Salzburg. However, everything went downhill after that and the Czech team suffered a number of heavy losses. They conceded as many as 18 goals in the next five rounds, but it should be noted that they played against some of the toughest possible opponents, including Man City and Atletico Madrid.
Sparta Prague are currently below the promotion line, needing two outright wins to succeed. Hardly anyone expects that to happen and it is far more likely that their participation in this year's Champions League will end ingloriously.
Inter, on the other hand, are expectedly among the best eight teams so far, but they will need at least one more win to finish in the Top 8. Advancement is assured, but the top eight teams skip the next round and will await their next opponent directly in the 1/8 finals.
Interestingly, Inter are one of the lowest-scoring teams in the entire competition, but that hasn't stopped them from winning four of their six games. Three of the wins came by 1-0 scores and were entirely due to their incredible defensive play. Inter have only conceded one goal so far, leading the defensive statistics along with Liverpool.
How the bookies view it: Expected away advantage
Inter's advantage in the odds was guaranteed and they are currently a significant favourite with all bookmakers. You can pick the Italians at 3/5 and the lowly hosts at 7/1. If you think a draw is possible, the bookies give 7/2.
Recent head-to-head: An ancient rivalry will be renewed
It's interesting to note that Sparta Prague and Inter have met as many as eight times in official encounters, but it's important that six of those were in the 1930s. Their most recent matches are from the Europa League from the 2016/17 season. Back then, both teams exchanged one win, with Sparta winning 3-1 at home before losing 2-1 in Italy.
Players to watch: Taremi was born for the Champions League
Mehdi Taremi doesn't get many chances to feature in the Serie A, but no field player has more Champions League minutes for Inter this season. So we expect another strong performance from him, as he already has one goal and two assists in the six rounds so far.
Probable line-ups
Sparta Prague: Jensen, Vitik, Zelezny, Panak, Wiesner, Kairinen, Laci, Rynes, Olatunji, Birmancevic, Rrahmani
Inter Milan: Sommer, Pavard, Bastoni, De Vrij, Barella, Asllani, Dumfries, Zielinski, Dimarco, Thuram, Martinez
Anything else catch the eye?
Inter's form has been great, apart from some mistakes like the loss in the Super Cup derby two weeks ago. Their only other loss in the last 10 games was against Bayer Leverkusen in the CL.
They've started to score more goals, but we still doubt we'll see any spectacular results in this game. Sparta Prague are definitely weak defensively, but Inter have shown no interest in scoring many goals in previous games. A result like 0-2 seems like a top option in this case.
This UEFA Champions League match between Sparta Prague and Inter Milan will be played on Jan 22, 2025 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Sparta Prague vs Inter Milan prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
