Sparta Prague and Atletico Madrid will lock horns for the first time in their respective histories on Tuesday night, and both sides will be under pressure to pick up a positive result due to their issues in the Champions League this season.
Atletico are down in 23rd spot in the overall Champions League table, having only picked up six points from their four games in the competition, while Sparta are 26th, collecting four points from their opening four games in 2024-25.
Match preview
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Sparta made an encouraging start to their 2024-25 Champions League campaign, beating Red Bull Salzburg 3-0 before drawing 1-1 with Stuttgart, making it four points from their opening two matches, but they have been beaten twice since then, going down 5-0 at Manchester City before suffering a 2-1 reverse at home to Brest.
A total of four points from four matches has left Lars Friis's side in 26th spot in the Champions League table, one point behind PSV Eindhoven in 24th, which would be enough for a playoff spot.
Sparta are actually on a four-game winless run in all competitions, drawing their last two in the league against Mlada Boleslav and Teplice, which has left them fourth in the Czech First League, 11 points off leaders Slavia Prague.
The Reds have won five and lost six of their previous 11 home matches against Spanish opposition in the Champions League, but they have been victorious in three of their last four at home to La Liga outfits and have won seven of their last 13 home European fixtures, losing just twice in the process.
Sparta will have three more matches in the league phase of the Champions League after this contest, heading to Feyenoord in their final European game of 2024 before tackling Inter Milan and Bayer Leverkusen in January.
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Atletico, meanwhile, are in a good place heading into this contest, having been victorious in each of their last five matches in all competitions, including a 2-1 success over Alaves in La Liga on Saturday.
Diego Simeone's side are now second in the La Liga table, five points behind the leaders Barcelona, while they recorded a huge win in the Champions League last time out, overcoming Paris Saint-Germain in the French capital.
The Red and Whites have lost to both Benfica and Lille in the competition this season, though, and they are currently down in 23rd spot in the Champions League table, only picking up six points from four matches, scoring just five times in the process.
Atletico have not taken on Czech opposition since the group stage of the 2012-13 Europa League, when they beat Viktoria Plzen at home but suffered a defeat in the reverse match on their travels.
The capital giants made the Champions League final in both 2014 and 2016, while they have been in the knockout rounds of the competition in nine of their last 11 campaigns, so it would be a huge shock if the Red and Whites were unable to navigate their way into the next round of the competition.
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Team News
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Sparta will be without the services of Veljko Birmancevic (thigh) and Angelo Preciado (knee) through injury on Tuesday, but the Czech outfit have not reported any fresh concerns.
Victor Olatunji has been in strong form for the Czech outfit this season, finding the back of the net on eight occasions, and the 25-year-old will once again lead the home side's line here.
Albion Rrahmani is another important player for Sparta, coming up with four goals and one assist in 14 appearances, and there should also be a spot for the number 10 in the final third of the field.
Atletico, meanwhile, will once again be without the services of Thomas Lemar due to a muscular problem; Robin Le Normand is also unlikely to feature despite recently returning to training after suffering a horrific head injury.
Nahuel Molina was forced to withdraw from the Argentina squad during the November international break due to an injury, and he missed out against Alaves on Saturday, so the defender is a major doubt.
Marcos Llorente and Cesar Azpilicueta are now back to fitness, though, and Simeone will make changes from the side that started on Saturday, with Julian Alvarez, Rodrigo De Paul, Jose Gimenez and Conor Gallagher all in line for starts.
Sparta Prague possible starting lineup:
Vindahl; Vitik, Panak, Cobbaut; Wiesner, Laci, Kairinen, Rynes; Pesek, Olatunji, Rrahmani
Atletico Madrid possible starting lineup:
Oblak; Azpilicueta, Gimenez, Lenglet, Galan; Llorente, De Paul, Barrios, Gallagher; Griezmann, Alvarez
We say: Sparta Prague 0-1 Atletico Madrid
Sparta are certainly capable of making this an uncomfortable match for Atletico, who have not been at their best in the competition this season. However, we are expecting Simeone's side to find a way to secure all three points on Tuesday, which would certainly leave them in a much more comfortable position in the table.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
