Feyenoord vs Sparta Prague prediction: EUROPE: Champions League – League phase betting tips on match 2024-12-10 20:00.
[p]Coming from behind to secure victory at the weekend, Feyenoord now swiftly turn their attentions back to UEFA Champions League (UCL) matters. Currently sitting within the top-24 after a positive run of form across their last four continental fixtures (W2, D1, L1), Feyenoord can strengthen their qualification hopes by beating Sparta Prague, a clash they enter as favourites despite never beating this opposition (D1, L3). [/p]
[p]After posting the latest ever UCL comeback from three goals behind against Manchester City last time out in Europe (D 3-3), the hosts have now picked up the majority of their points from losing positions. No such heroics have been seen in Feyenoord’s UCL home league games this term however (L2), and they’ve actually kept just one clean sheet whilst recording no draws across their last 11 UCL games here (W3, L8). [/p]
[p]Sparta Prague make the journey west to Rotterdam after ending a six-game winless run with back-to-back league victories. The reigning Czech champions face possibly being cut adrift from the qualification places if they can’t end their three-game losing run of UCL outings here, after a poor campaign that’s seen them concede 14 times after five matchdays, making this Sparta’s leakiest European campaign since 1999/00.[/p]
[p]Plugging gaps in the Netherlands may be a tough task for Sparta, who travel here on the back of four straight winless away H2Hs against Dutch opponents (D2, L2). Their last victory in the country came here against Feyenoord in 2001, which is coincidentally the last year that Sparta won an away game in the UCL proper (D3, L11), with four of the last five defeats in that run seeing Sparta fail to score. [/p]
[p]Players to watch: Feyenoord’s Igor Paixão jointly leads the way for UCL assists ahead of the round (A4), and is unbeaten in his last 16 scoring club appearances (W14, D2). For Sparta, Victor Olatunji recently ended a run of five successive scoring appearances to come at home, four of which were in European action, by scoring his last two goals away from home inside the opening quarter-hour. [/p]
[p]Hot stat: There have been four red cards shown across Feyenoord’s last six UCL home matches. [/p]
[p][i]Written by Matthew Billon[/i][/p]