Liverpool are trying to win as many trophies as possible to bid farewell to their manager, Jurgen Klopp. They are in a very good position in the Premier League and have a great chance to win the league title. However, The All-Reds are also looking for the Europa League this season.
Following their massive 5-1 win against Sparta Praha in the first leg of the round of 16, Liverpool are all set to host Sparta Praha tonight at Anfield to play the second leg.
Liverpool are in a good form across all competitions. They have the same 64 points as the table topper, Arsenal. But Liverpool could have increased the difference if they won against Manchester City in their last encounter. The match against Manchester City could be a title decider game for Liverpool, but they failed to secure all three points against the Citizens at Anfield.
Manchester City stunned the All-Reds at the beginning of the match when defender John Stones found the back of the net with a clever flick. However, Liverpool tried their best and pushed hard until the end of the match. But due to their continuous attack, Liverpool earned a penalty kick from where Argentine World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister successfully found the net. Both teams couldn’t score more in the rest of the time, resulting in the match ending in a 1-1 tie.
Therefore, Liverpool are desperate to bounce back tonight at Anfield when they face off against Sparta Praha.
Stats & Facts
- Liverpool have played only two European games against Czech clubs at Anfield and won both of them. Tonight’s match will be the third home game for Liverpool against a Czech opponent.
- Sparta Praha have won only one of their 11 European games against English clubs away from home. However, they have lost eight games during this period.
- Liverpool have won all three home games in the Europa League this season. Additionally, they have won their last eight consecutive home games in this competition.
Team News
Mohammad Salah has been struggling with a calf injury and departed early in the match against Manchester City. However, the Egyptian has no further injury issues and is ready to start tonight. “He is ready. He is top fit, everything is good now and we don’t have to deal with this kind of thing anymore. I’m not sure if he is ready for 90 minutes and I’m not sure we should do 90 minutes, but he’s ready to start so that’s how it is,” Jurgen Klopp said in the press conference.
Defender Ibrahim Konate missed the clash against Man City but could return to the match against Sparta Praha. However, none of Ben Doak, Joel Matip, Stefan Bajcetic, Diogo Jota, Curtis Jones, Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Thiago Alcantara are available due to their respective injury.
Possible Lineup for Liverpool:
Kelleher; Bradley, Quansah, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Szoboszlai, McConnell, Clark; Elliott, Gakpo, Koumas
Possible Lineup for Sparta Prague:
Vindahl Jensen; Vitik, Krejci, Panak; Preciado, Kairinen, Solbakken, Zeleny; Birmancevic, Kuchta, Haraslin
Prediction: Liverpool 3-0 Sparta Praha
As Liverpool won the first leg by a great margin, manager Jurgen Klopp is likely to rotate his squad. But Liverpool, with a lot of young players, are still a difficult opponent for Sparta Praha at Anfield. Besides, Praha’s previous records against English clubs are below average. As a result, we expect Liverpool to win this match comfortably.
Betfair Odds
Liverpool: 1.23
Draw: 7.46
Sparta: 12.40
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