- Sparta are unbeaten at home since May
- Liverpool have won seven and drawn one of their last nine matches
- Recommended bet: Sparta Prague or Tie Double Chance

Liverpool’s dress rehearsal for Sunday’s Premier League title showdown with Manchester City at Anfield is a thankless trip to Prague to face Sparta in the first leg of the last-16 of the Europa League.

Jurgen Klopp has eyes only on the weekend and, with injuries still plaguing the club, that means another outing for a batch of Reds youngsters.

Sparta, strong at home and themselves top of the Czech Liga, will probably never get a better chance to claim one of Europe’s biggest scalps.

Team news

Skipper and centre-back Ladislav Krejci, left wing-back Matej Rynes and frontman Veljko Birmancevic all return from Europa League suspensions for the home side.

Defender Filip Panak and striker Jan Kuchta were withdrawn at half-time in the weekend 0-0 derby draw with Slavia and could be doubtful.

Liverpool have countless absentees including Alisson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joel Matip, Ryan Gravenberch, Thiago Alcantara, Curtis Jones, Diogo Jota and Mo Salah.

That should mean run-outs for, among others, Jarell Quansah, Conor Bradley, James McConnell, Bobby Clark and Jayden Danns.

The stats

Sparta Prague are unbeaten in their last 18 home games since last May, with clean sheets having been kept in nine of those matches.

Liverpool have scored at least one goal in each of their last 24 away matches.

The Reds have won only two of their last 12 Europa League away fixtures.

Prediction

Liverpool might be defying logic given the injury crisis they are currently enduring, but this looks an obvious opportunity to take them on.

Czech league leaders Sparta Prague are buzzing after seeing off Galatasaray in the previous round - winning the home leg 4-1 - and will never get a better opportunity to down a top team like Liverpool.

Klopp has been forced to leave a whole host of first-team stars at home because of injuries and the prospect of taking on Manchester City in a critical title fight at Anfield on Sunday.

This then becomes little more than a thankless distraction for the German, though it is an opportunity to blood more youngsters.

Given, however, how they struggled, certainly for the first half, against second-tier Southampton in the FA Cup and struggled again to win at Nottingham Forest on Saturday, they appear to be surviving rather than flourishing.

Sparta are unbeaten at home since May and need to be positive because they won’t fancy their chances on Merseyside next Thursday.

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