Sparta Praha vs Salzburg Prediction: Haraslin heads 18/1 bet builder in Czech capital

Sparta Praha’s last appearance in a Champions League group stage was way back in 2005 when they finished winless, losing four of their six games. The changing format of European club football’s elite competition means there will be no group stage this year but instead, a League Phase, which the Czech side have qualified for after overcoming Shamrock Rovers, FCSB, and Malmo in the play-offs.

Lars Friis’ charges have been drawn against some real European heavyweights including the 2023 finalists, Manchester City and Inter Milan, but first up at the epet ARENA on Wednesday (17:45, TNT Sports 5) are Red Bull Salzburg, now under the guidance of Jurgen Klopp’s former right-hand man, Pep Lijnders. Check out my Sparta Praha vs Salzburg prediction below, where you can also find out all the latest team news and match odds.

Team News

Sparta haven’t played since August 31, before the international break, so their players should be well-rested ahead of this crunch clash in the Czech capital. Right wing-back Angelo Preciado missed that 2-0 victory at Hradec Kralove but played the duration of Ecuador’s 1-0 win against Peru last Tuesday and should return to the starting XI against Salzburg.

Spanish defender Imanol Garcia is sidelined after tearing his ACL just 23 minutes into his Sparta debut last month, while Elias Cobbaut and Asger Sorensen have also been ruled out.

There are doubts, too, over the participation of Jakub Pesek and Roman Mokrovics.

Football Odds

Salzburg boss Lijnders will hope to hand a debut to 19-year-old Englishman Bobby Clark, who was injured on arrival from Liverpool this summer. Clark’s agemate and former teammate, Spanish midfielder Stefan Bajcetic, has joined him in Austria on a season-long loan from the Reds and could also make his Salzburg bow on Wednesday, although if the duo are to feature it will surely be from the bench given the time they have spent on the sidelines.

The visitors have several players out injured including Fernando, Daouda Guindo, Takumu Kawamura and Karim Konate but left-back Aleksa Terzic could return to their squad this week.

Sparta Praha vs Salzburg Odds

*Please click on the link above to be taken to the main Sparta Praha vs Salzburg page on betfred.com (or app) for all the live betting prices on this match.

Sparta are 13/10 to take all three points on Wednesday, giving the hosts an implied win probability of 43.5%, while Salzburg are 15/8, or a 34.8% chance, to return to Austria with a victory under their belt.

The draw can be backed at 13/5, both teams to score at 1/2, and over 2.5 total goals at 4/7.

Bet Builder – Lukas Haraslin (SPA) Anytime Scorer, Angelo Preciado (SPA) 2+ Shots, Lucas Gourna-Douath (SAL) Carded @ 18/1

We’re going pretty big with this three-legged bet builder, which starts with Sparta forward Lukas Haraslin finding the net. The 28-year-old has scored in the Czech side’s last two games, a league victory over Hradec Kralove and a 2-0 win in the second leg of their Champions League play-off against Malmo. He’s already on five goals for the season – two of which have come in Europe – and looks well on the way to beating last season’s tally of 14.

Haraslin struck four times in the 2023/24 Europa League campaign including one in the second leg of Sparta’s knockout play-off tie with Turkish giants Galatasaray. He also took three shots in their round of 32 home game against Liverpool, hitting the target with all of his efforts, highlighting how dangerous he can be in and around the area.

Summer signing Albion Rrahmani is another one to consider in the anytime scorer market after netting in his first two appearances for Sparta, but I’m backing the trusty Haraslin to deliver on the European stage again versus a side that has shipped 10 goals already in the Lijnders era.

Secondly, I’m backing Sparta’s Preciado to take two shots on Wednesday. The 26-year-old hasn’t played for his club side since August 17 but played 90-plus minutes for Ecuador against Peru last week so should be back up to near full fitness, and his energy could be vital down the right wing.

Preciado’s shots per game average (0.7) was modest in the Czech First League last season, but he upped it to 1.1 per game in the Europa League and really came alive in the knockout stages, scoring in both legs of Sparta’s play-off tie against Galatasaray before shooting three times in each leg versus Liverpool, so he’s certainly not shy to try his luck, which he’ll be looking to do against Salzburg.

The third and final leg requires Salzburg midfielder Lucas Gourna-Douath to receive a card. The Mali international loves to get stuck in, as evidenced by the 2.8 fouls per game he made in last season’s group stage, where he picked up three yellow cards for his efforts.

Gourna-Douath has already been booked three times in just four European outings this term, and twice in three Austrian Bundesliga appearances, and he looks a good bet to see yellow again on Wednesday.

Match Result & Both Teams to Score – Draw & Yes @ 3/1

This looks like being a close contest in the Czech Republic on Wednesday. Sparta are seriously strong at home, dropping just four league points at the epet ARENA last season, and Liverpool were the only side in any competition to get the better of them there, with the Czech champions beating Real Betis and Galatasaray there and drawing to Rangers.

Salzburg, meanwhile, came bottom of their Champions League group last season but picked up all four of their points on their travels. The Austrians kicked their campaign off with a 2-0 victory over Benfica in Lisbon, and after losing 2-1 to Inter in Milan, they held Real Sociedad to a goalless draw in San Sebastian, proving that they are no pushovers away from home in Europe.

They’ve started well under Lijnders but suffered their first defeat under the Dutchman before the international break, losing 3-2 at SK Rapid Wien, and after being given the weekend off, they are yet to show that they can recover from a setback.

Salzburg have proven they can score goals away from home in Europe this season, drawing 3-3 with FC Twente in Enschede and beating Dynamo Kyiv 2-0 in Lublin, the latter of course being played on neutral turf, but they have been fairly leaky in defence, too, keeping just two clean sheets in eight games since a resounding 6-0 OFB Cup success over Dornbirn on July 26.

Meanwhile, both teams have scored in Sparta’s last three European matches, so I think a score draw looks like the best bet on Wednesday.

Offers

Place an In-Play single bet of £10 or more at odds of 1/2+ on any Champions League game on Tuesday or Wednesday and get £5 in Free Bets to use In-Play on Thursday’s Champions League games.

You can read all our latest Football Betting Tips at our dedicated Betfred Insights content hub.