Sparta Prague welcome Salzburg to epet Arena for their opening fixture of the UEFA Champions League. Sparta have made a fine start to the season and are looking sharp at the moment. They should have the upper hand over the Austrians.
Sparta Prague came through the qualifiers to secure their place in the main competition of the Champions League. They were unbeaten in the preliminary rounds and did the double over Malmo in the qualifying playoffs, with both matches ending in 2-0 victories.
The Czech giants are actually yet to taste defeat across all competitions as they are enjoying a fine start to the season. Lars Friis’ men have won six of their last seven matches across all competitions and claimed a 2-0 victory at Hradec Kralove in a domestic fixture last weekend.
Salzburg also came through the qualifiers but were not as dominant as Sparta Prague. They claimed a 3-1 aggregate victory over Dinamo Kiev in the qualifying playoffs, winning 2-0 in the first leg before being held to a 1-1 draw at home.
It has not been the most convincing start to the season for Salzburg, who are currently fifth in the Austrian Bundesliga. Pep Lijnders’ men are winless in their last two matches and suffered a 3-2 defeat in a domestic fixture last weekend.
How the bookies view it: Closely fought encounter
The bookies appear to be expecting a closely fought encounter with a win for Sparta Prague priced at 7/5 by Betfred, who is offering 15/8 for a Salzburg victory. A draw is set at odds of 5/2 by Betfred.
Head to head: Little to separate them
There have been only two previous matches between Sparta Prague and Salzburg, both of which have been friendlies. The Austrians claimed a 2-1 victory in 2023 while both teams also played out a 2-2 draw in July this year.
Players to watch: Haraslin looking sharp
Lukas Haraslin has five goals across all competitions for Sparta Prague this season and could be the one to watch. The attacker has also found the net in two of the last three Champions League matches and is priced at 11/5 by Betfred to maintain his scoring run.
Salzburg can also hold their own going forward and will look to Dorgeles Nene to provide the spark in attack. The forward has two goals in his last three Champions League matches and is priced at 12/5 by Betfred to get in the score sheet on Wednesday.
Probable line-ups
Victor Olatunji was a second half substitute for Sparta Prague at the weekend and could earn a start on Wednesday. Haraslin should also continue in attack while Filip Panak is set to feature at the back.
Ignace Van der Brempt sat out Salzburg’s defeat at the weekend and should return to the team on Wednesday. Nene should continue in attack alongside Moussa Yeo while Oscar Gloukh is also expected to feature.
Sparta Prague: Vindahl, Vitik, Panak, Sorensen, Wiesner, Kairinen, Laci, Rynes, Krasniqi, Haraslin, Olatunji
Salzburg: Blaswich, Dedic, Baidoo, Piatowski, Van der Brempt, Diambou, Kjaergaard, Gloukh, Yeo, Nene, Ratkov
Anything else catch the eye?
The last meeting between Sparta Prague and Salzburg produced over 3.5 goals, which is priced at 6/4 by Betfred. The Czech side have looked confident this season and could be backed to score first at 9/10 with Betfred.
There were more goals after the break in Sparta Prague’s previous home fixture and a similar pattern is priced at evens with Betfred.
This UEFA Champions League match between Sparta Prague and Salzburg will be played on Sep 18, 2024 and kick off at 17:45. Check below for our tipsters best Sparta Prague vs Salzburg prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
