Football Ground Map
Football Ground Map
Turkish side Galatasaray will face Sparta Prague in the UEFA Europa League preliminary knockout round to reach the Round of 16.
Galatasaray is in this playoff round after finishing third in the Champions League Group A behind Bayern Munich and Copenhagen. In the tie against Sparta, there would be lots of pride on the line with the most successful club in the Czech Republic visiting Turkey's finest.
Their only previous meeting was in the Champions League during the 1997/98 season with both sides comfortably winning their home leg. Here is a chance to write a new history in the Europa League.
It took three challenging qualifying rounds for Galatasaray to secure a spot in the UCL group stage and they will be fired up to sustain their European quest this term.
The Turkish champions started the Domestic season with a stalemate at Kayserispor but went on an incredible 10-game winning run thereafter. When Hatayspor finally defeated Galatasaray in November, they beat Alanyaspor 4-0 and came from behind to draw Manchester United at RAMS Park.
Disappointment would lie ahead as they were stunned 1-0 in Denmark to miss out on a UCL Last 16 place against Copenhagen. After a 0-0 draw in a fiery derby, the Lions are now joint-top of the Super Lig with Fenerbahce and will be looking to push on two fronts in the second half of the season.
Gala is still the only Turkish team to win a major UEFA competition so they will be optimistic about their chances of causing a stir in the second-tier competition.
Sparta Prague would not make those hopes any easier and they share the familiar feeling of coming up short to Copenhagen this season after losing their UCL playoff tie against the Danes.
The Maroons clinched the Czech First League title for the first time in nine years and they are motivated to do well in this competition this season.
Their title defence began with three straight wins and a 5-1 win against Jablonec was sandwiched by the unsuccessful playoff against Copenhagen.
Results stayed rosy in the league as Sparta turned around their Europa League playoff tie against Dinamo Zagreb with an incredible 4-1 win in the second leg. The opening match of their group-stage campaign ended in a 3-2 win over Aris Limassol, a game which followed a pulsating 1-1 draw in the derby against Slavia Prague.
Real Betis' 2-1 victory in EL matchday 2 was followed by a draw against Rangers and their first league defeat to Mlada Boleslav. Another loss, this time in the return leg against the Scots, threatened to spoil their excellent work but Sparta beat Betis and Aris to qualify for the knockout stage as runners-up.
Sparta closed for the winter break with a win over Teplice and the Czech First League resumed only a few days before the game against Galatasaray. Brian Priske will be looking to get his side in top shape during the four friendly games they have lined up.
Sparta Prague can be happy about their European journey so far, and a victory over Gala would add some natural gloss to their excitement.
This match will take place on Thursday, February 15, 2024 with kick-off scheduled for 5:45 PM UK time. Match tickets are available for sale on each club's website and via UEFA channels.
The Ali Sami Yen Stadium is always a sight to behold on European nights, and it will be more of the same when Sparta turns up for a historic knockout game. 52,000 fans are expected to fill the stands, so tickets will likely be sold out on official channels.
Given the importance of this game, home fans will be making it a typically intimidating atmosphere for the opponents, so tickets are a precious commodity in town. Supporters still trying to get hold of Galatasaray vs Sparta Prague tickets may be lucky to find them on a ticket resale site.
Argentine forward Mauro Icardi has been sidelined for a while owing to a fracture in his facial bones sustained during the Fenerbahce derby. He will be expected to have returned before the Sparta game but he might have to play with a protective face mask.
Hakim Ziyech and Cedric Bakambu are away on international duty and it is still being determined whether they would be available for this game. Sergio Oliveira and Davinson Sanchez have injuries they may have recovered from before facing the Czechs.
Sparta has fewer injury concerns and will use the winter break to attain optimum fitness levels for the battle ahead. James Gomez is on national team duty while Angelo Preciado is out with a knock at the time of writing.
Both players are likely to be fit and available for the trip to Galatasaray.
The Turkish champions have a team used to winning so their stars would play confidently. They must harness the extra energy their fans will be creating at home and the first leg is the best opportunity to get a win that puts them in the driving seat of this tie.
Galatasaray: Muslera; Boey, Sanchez, Bardakci, Angelino; Torreira, Ayhan; Tete, Akturkoglu, Zaha; Icardi
Lukas Haraslin and Veljko Birmancevic are danger men for the Czechs as they lead the team for goals while Jan Kuchta spearheads a spectacular frontline.
That attack is critical, considering Galatasaray have conceded more (13) than they have scored (10) in Europe this term.
Sparta Prague: Jensen; Vitik, Sorensen, Krejci; Preciado, Laci, Kairinen, Zeleny; Birmancevic, Haraslin, Kuchta
This tie could go either way so it is up to one of the teams to step up and advance into the Europa League Last 16.
Gala holds the slight advantage of being at home in the first leg and they must make it count to have something to play for in the return fixture.
Galatasaray 3-1 Sparta Prague
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