UEFA Champions League: Sparta Prague vs. Monaco Betting Preview, Odds, News, Prediction

Sparta Prague continues its run for the UEFA Champions League with a clash against Monaco this Tuesday night. This should be one of the more interesting matchups, as it features two sides that like to play offensive and open football. Generali Arena in Prague should have at least 10,000 spectators and having in mind the reputation of Sparta’s fans, the atmosphere should be hot. Whoever loses here goes to the UEFA Conference League, but to be honest, neither side will be satisfied with that because the primary aim is to secure a UCL spot.

Preview

Sparta Prague (+400) is an underdog, but we believe that the oddsmakers underestimated them a little bit. This is a very good team, that plays modern football, with a high tempo, pressuring the rival all the time, and trying to score regardless of the result on the scoreboard.

After having mostly solid results during the preseason, Sparta increased its level of play, posting three wins in the latest three competitive games. At first, they beat Sigma Olomouc, then Rapid Vienna in the rematch of the previous UCL qualifying stage, before exploding on the road against Liberec, smashing the big rivals with 0-5.

Since the start of the preparation period, only two matches saw under 2.5 goals, while the other nine went above that limit, with Sparta scoring at least twice or more nine times as well. That tells a lot about how this team plays.

Monaco (-125) had no competitive games so far, which frightens their fans. Yes, they have a far better roster than the Czech side, but on the other side, their form isn’t tested in such situations. The team from the south of France played well in all the friendlies they had, beating Salzburg, Cercle Brugge, and Wolfsburg, losing to Real Sociedad in the most recent game, and playing without goals against Antwerp.

Overall all but the match against the latter team were efficient displays with at least three goals, and scores on both ends, suggesting that they too like to play offensive.

Several of Monaco’s big-time contributors left the team during the summer, like Stefan Jovetic and Benjamin Henrichs. They are expected to be replaced with the duo from Bundesliga, Leverkusen’s Kevin Volland, and Koln’s Ismail Jakobs.

Latest News

There aren’t any injured players nor suspended in Sparta.

Regarding Monaco, the only player who is questionable for this event is Benjamin Lecomte due to his hamstring injury. The experienced goalkeeper is 50/50 to appear on Tuesday night.

Head to Head Games

There aren’t any official games between Sparta and Monaco recorded in any UEFA database.

Prediction

We usually have some doubts regarding the efficiency in the first legs of any knockout stage, but in this case, we are going with over 2.5 goals right away. Sparta plays at home, and the only chance for this team to eliminate the French representative is to defeat them in Prague and secure a positive result before the rematch. The odds on that are -110, and for those who want to make the profits higher, add both teams to score, and you’ll double the stake invested.

Pick: Over 2.5 goals -110

Here you have the previews for more matches

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