Feyenoord vs Sparta Prague

It’s crunch time in the UEFA Champions League for Feyenoord and Sparta Prague as they lock horns in a ‘make or break’ fixture at the famous De Kuip.

Feyenoord made Champions League history in the last round, becoming the first team to avoid defeat despite trailing 3-0 in the 75th minute in a memorable 3-3 draw at Manchester City. The Dutch side’s decent-looking four-game run of form on the continental stage (W2, D1, L1) keeps them firmly in the running for a top-24 finish. However, taking three points here could be tricky. Though they head into proceedings as pre-match favorites, Feyenoord haven’t beaten Sparta Prague in their four previous H2Hs (D1, L3). Furthermore, Brian Priske’s men have yet to pick up Champions League points this season at De Kuip (L2), where they’ve only kept one clean sheet across their last 11 outings in Europe’s elite club competition without drawing a single fixture (W3, L8).

In the meantime, Sparta Prague will be out to erase the memory of a painful 6-0 home rout at the hands of Atletico Madrid, which had formed part of a six-game winless run in all competitions (D3, L3). However, the visitors have got back on the rails with back-to-back domestic league victories in the build-up to this trip, bolstering their spirits after three consecutive Champions League defeats. Halting that run is imperative if the Czech giants are to avoid early elimination, yet, with 14 goals conceded, this is their worst defensive campaign in European football since 1999/00. Shoring up their leaks at the back on Dutch soil could be a tall order, considering they’ve failed to win any of their last four away matches against Eredivisie opposition (D2, L2).