Sparta Prague vs Galatasaray prediction: EUROPE: Europa League – Play Offs betting tips on match 2024-02-21 20:00.
Sparta Prague know they must win here having lost the first leg of their UEFA Europa League knockout round play-off 3-2 to Galatasaray in what was their first competitive defeat since early November (W9). That fine winning run had helped them climb four points clear on top of the Czech First League and they will hope to reignite it here as they chase a spot in this competition’s round of 16.
They haven’t progressed any further than that in European competition since 2015/16, but Iron Sparta’s solid home form in this competition does offer encouragement with no defeat since October 2021 (W4, D1). So too does their record here against Turkish opponents (W5, D1, L1), including a 3-0 H2H win during their 1997/98 Champions League campaign and a 3-1 UEFA Cup success two seasons prior.
Like their hosts, Galatasaray lead their domestic championship, but by a more slender two-point margin despite winning each of their last ten competitive games. As they’ve scored at least twice in each of those fixtures, their goal threat is clear, although they couldn’t translate that into results in Europe before Christmas, failing to win any of their final four Champions League fixtures (D1, L3).
That dropped the 1999/2000 UEFA Cup winners into this competition, but the Lions haven’t lost a Europa League away game since October 2020, keeping clean sheets in each of the last four (W1, D3). Another would be enough to see them through here, although given the quality of chances that Sparta produced in Turkey, Okan Buruk’s defenders should be expecting another stern test here in Prague.
Players to watch: Sparta’s Jan Kuchta has netted in both of his starts since the winter break, with each goal arriving between the 60th and 70th minute, including one in Turkey. Galatasaray’s Mauro Icardi completed the scoring in the first leg, a trick he repeated at the weekend against Ankaragücü (W 3-0).
Hot stat: There have been four red cards shown across Sparta’s last six fixtures – two of them in the first leg and three of them between the 55th and 80th minute.