Sparta Prague vs Rapid Wien

Sparta Prague will be looking to bounce back from a first-leg failure when they take on Rapid Wien at the Generali Ceska pojistovna Arena in the second leg of their Champions League qualifying tie.

Sparta squandered a 1-0 half-time lead to succumb to a 2-1 first-leg defeat in Austria, throwing their hopes of returning to the Champions League group stage into a corridor of doubt. The prospect of a turnaround on home soil is all but a foregone conclusion, considering they have only won once in their last four European fixtures at the Generali Ceska pojistovna Arena (D1, L2). Yet, Sparta can draw confidence from winning each of their previous four competitive matches on home turf by an aggregate score of 15-5, notably netting 3+ goals on each occasion. Additionally, the Czech heavyweights have successfully negotiated each of their three European qualifying ties versus Austrian opposition. A high-scoring affair is well on the cards, given that four of Sparta’s last five European home fixtures have seen over 2.5 goals and both teams scoring.

Meanwhile, Rapid head into proceedings on the back of a 2-0 home loss to domestic rivals Hartberg, a result that brought their three-game winning streak in all competitions to a halt. The Austrian giants have experienced a massive dip in away form ahead of the kick-off, going from five straight road trips without losing (W2, D3) to back-to-back defeats, both of which came by a losing margin of 2+ goals. Rapid’s defensive frailties have been widely exposed in their recent competitive away matches, considering they’ve managed just a single clean sheet across their last eight trips in all competitions. Particularly vulnerable beyond half-time, Dietmar Kühbauer’s men have registered eight of their last nine goals conceded away from home in the second half of play.