- Czech league leaders Sparta have played six matches to get this far
- Salzburg have beaten Twente and Dynamo Kyiv to reach the group phase
- Recommended bet: Sparta Prague to win

Czech champions Sparta Prague and Austrian runners-up Salzburg clash at the Stadion Letna in Prague on Wednesday.

It's Sparta's first taste of the Champions League main draw since 2005-06, but they will be upbeat on their chances against competition regulars Salzburg, whose form in recent group campaigns has not been encouraging.

Team news

Sparta left wing-back Imanol Garcia, a summer signing from Athletic Bilbao, is out with a knee injury. His replacement, Matej Rynes, was injured playing for the Czech Republic during the international break.

Salzburg have been rocked by an injury to five-goal left-back Maurits Kjaergaard, who was taken off in their 3-2 loss at Rapid Vienna two weeks ago and is out for another month.

New signings from Liverpool, Bobby Clark and Stefan Bajcetic, are in contention but have yet to appear for their new club.

The stats

Sparta are unbeaten in 13 matches this season, winning 11 of those.

They have beaten Shamrock Rovers (6-2 on aggregate), Steaua Bucharest (4-3) and Malmo (4-0) to reach this stage.

Salzburg have reached the league phase by beating Dutch side Twente (5-4 on aggregate) and Dynamo Kyiv (3-1).

They started their season under Jurgen Klopp's former right-hand man Pep Lijnders with four straight wins but have won just two of five since.

Of the 24 outfield players in the Salzburg squad, 19 are 22 years old or under.

Prediction

Sparta Prague and Salzburg have put in the hard yards making it to the league phase of the 2024-25 Champions League.

The Czech champions have played six ties, culminating in an impressive 4-0 aggregate defeat of Malmo in the play-off round, as they won 2-0 home and away against the Swedish side.

Salzburg made hard work of beating Twente but were more efficient in a 3-1 aggregate success over Dynamo Kyiv.

Neither club has played for over a fortnight, with Salzburg yet to field some of their new signings and reeling from several key injuries.

That, plus home advantage, has to give Sparta an edge, although this is not new territory for the Austrians, who are making their sixth successive appearance in the main draw.

Salzburg may well get better as the tournament progresses, but as it stands their incredibly youthful group look under-cooked and vulnerable.

Back Sparta Prague to win at 13/10 with LiveScore Bet

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