Our prediction for this Europa League match:
Celtic
Match Time & Date:
05/11/2020
03:00 PM
Prediction: 2-1
Sparta Prague
After dropping a two-goal advantage in a 2-2 draw with Lille, Celtic will be looking to record their first win in the Europa League group stages when they host Sparta Prague at their Celtic Park. The Hoops have been scoring goals for fun in all competitions of late, and they are likely to stick to their attacking style of play against Sparta. The Czech football championship has been stopped due to the fierce of coronavirus spread, and, as a result, Sparta were not in action at the weekend.
Anyhow, Celtic are more of a team than Sparta Prague, and we predict that the Scottish champions are going to pick up all three points from Thursday’s football match. A man to keep an eye on in the home team will be Norway international Mohamed Elyounoussi, who scored a brace in the 2-2 draw with Lille.
Highlighted Player (Shane Duffy):
Shane Duffy is a footballer from Northern Ireland, who plays for Blackburn Rovers as a centre back. Duffy was born on 1 January, 1992 and he is considered one of the tallest players in the Championship. The 193-cm-tall defender began his youth career at Foyle Harps and went on to sign a deal with Premier League giants Everton in 2008.
Despite being an Everton player for five years, he made no more than five appearances for the Goodison Park outfit in the process. The Northern Ireland international enjoyed loan spells with Burnley, Scunthorpe United and Yeovil Town before joining Blackburn Rovers for an undisclosed fee in 2014. Shane Duffy scored four goals in 41 appearances for the Rovers in the 2015/2016 Championship campaign and he played an important role in Paul Lambert’s team.
Despite being born in Northern Ireland, the defender made his international debut for Republic of Ireland in June 2014 against Costa Rica, switching his allegiance after representing the Northern Ireland Under-16 side.
Highlighted Team (Sparta Prague):
Established in 1893, Sparta Prague is one of Europe’s oldest clubs and the most successful side in Czech Republic, having won no fewer than 36 league titles and 27 Czech Cup trophies. The club play their games at the Generali Arena in Prague and hold a long-lasting rivalry with Slavia Prague.
Sparta Prague enjoyed their Golden Years in the 1960’s, when average attendance was nearly 40,000 and players like Jiri Tichy, Andrej Kvasnak and Vaclav Masek entertained the crowds week in week out. Rudi largely impressed in the maiden Champions League campaign during the 1991/92 season as they finished second in the semi-final group, meaning they were among top 4 European sides at the moment.
Nevertheless, Sparta Prague have enjoyed little to no success on the European stage since, reaching the Champions League knockout stages on just one occasion, with their latest major coup the return of prodigal son Tomas Rosicky from Arsenal.
Ajax
Lille
Arsenal
Benfica
Napoli
Granada
Club Brugge
Dynamo Kyiv
Leicester
Slavia Prague
Manchester United
Real Sociedad
