Preview: Sparta Prague vs. Atletico Madrid – prediction, team news, lineups

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 get a positive result due to their struggles in Champions League this season.

Atletico are down to 23rd place in the overall Champions League table, having picked up just six points from their four games in the competition, while Sparta are in 26th place and have collected four points from their first four games of 2024-25 .

Match preview

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Sparta made an encouraging start to their 2024-25 Champions League campaign as they beat Red Bull Salzburg 3-0 before drawing 1-1 with Stuttgart to make it four points from their opening two games, but they are 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 remain from four matches Lars Friisteam in 26th place in the Champions League table, one point behind PSV Eindhoven in 24th place, which would be enough for a playoff spot.

Sparta are actually on a four-match 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 adrift of leaders Slavia Prague.

The Reds have won five and lost six of their previous 11 home games against Spanish opposition in the Champions League, but they have won three of their last four at home to La Liga and have won seven of their last 13 European home games. , only losing twice in the process.

Sparta will have three more matches in the league phase of the Champions League after this competition, traveling 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 competition, having won each of their last five games in all competitions, including a 2-1 success over Alaves in La Liga on Saturday.

Diego Simeone‘s page is now number two in La Liga tablefive points behind leaders Barcelona, ​​while they recorded a huge win in the Champions League last time out, beating Paris Saint-Germain in the French capital.

However, the red and whites have lost to both Benfica and Lille in the competition this season and are currently down to 23rd in the Champions League table, picking up just six points from four games and scoring just five times in the process.

Atletico have not faced Czech opposition since the 2012-13 Europa League group stage, when they beat Viktoria Plzen at home, but suffered defeat in the reverse fixture on their travels.

The capital giants reached 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.

Sparta Prague Champions League form:

Sparta Prague form (all competitions):

Atletico Madrid Champions League form:

Atletico Madrid form (all competitions):

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Sparta will be without services from Veljko Birmancevic (thigh) and Angelo Preciado (knee) through injury on Tuesday, but the Czech outfit have not reported any new concerns.

Victor Olatunji has been in strong form for the Czech outfit this season, finding the net on eight occasions, and the 25-year-old will once again lead the line for the home side here.

Albion Rrahmani is another key player for Sparta, coming up on four goals and an assist in 14 appearances, and there should also be a place 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 muscle problem; Robin Le Normand Nor is it likely to come despite his recent return 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 injury and he missed out against Alaves on Saturday, so the defender is a major doubt.

Marcos Llorente and Cesar Azpilicueta is now back to fitness, however, and Simeone will make changes from the side that started on Saturday, with Julian Alvarez, Rodrigo De Paul, Jose Gimenez and Conor Gallagher all lined up for the start.

Sparta Prague possible starting line-up:
Vindahl; Vitik, Panak, Cobbaut; Wiesner, Laci, Kairinen, Rynes; Pesek, Olatunji, Rrahmani

Atletico Madrid possible starting line-up:
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 game for Atletico, who have not been at their best in the competition this season. However, we expect 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.

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