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Photo by MICHAL CIZEK/AFP via Getty Images
The Reds restart their European campaign as they travel to Prague for the round of 16.
Sparta Prague vs Liverpool
| Thursday, March 7th |
Europa League Cup | epet ARENA
5:45PM BST / 12:45PM EST
Just five days after nicking a 99th minute winner to stay top of the Premier League for another week, Liverpool get ready to do it all over again, as they travel to Czechia to take on domestic champions Sparta Prague.
The Czech league leaders have taken a circuitious path to get here, getting eliminated from the Champions League qualifiers by FC Copenhagen on penalties back in August, before clinching an Europa League group spot by besting Dinamo Zagreb over two legs in the same month. Second place in the group stage meant Brian Priske’s men had to beat Galatasaray to qualify for the round of 16, and thus, tomorrow’s visit from the Reds represents Iron Sparta’s 13th match in Europe this season.
Domestically, things have been running smoothly, and Sparta currently sit top of the Fortuna Liga, four points ahead of local rivals Slavia Prague with seven games to go, and they are still in the MOL Cup at the semi-final stage. The Reds aren’t the only team looking for a clean sweep of trophies, in other words.
Priske can field a team of his best players, with top scorers Lukas Haraslin, Veljko Birmancevic and Jan Kuchta, as well as captain Ladislav Krejci all fit to start.
Projected Liverpool Lineup (4-3-3)
Kelleher; Bradley, Konaté, van Dijk, Tsimikas; Endo, Mac Allister, Clark; Díaz, Gakpo, Elliott
For the Reds, there is a sense of normalcy returning, with multiple first-choice players coming back into contention after a long — but successful — spell of relying on second-string and youth players. Alisson remains unavailable, however, guaranteeing another turn between the sticks for Caoimhín Kelleher.
Trent Alexander-Arnold has yet to return to team training, so Conor Bradley could feature from the start, with Andy Robertson or Kostas Tsimikas manning the opposite flank and Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté anchoring the centre of defence.
In midfield, Dominik Szoboszlai made a return to the pitch last week, but a start may come to soon for the Hungarian, while Ryan Gravenberch continues to miss time with an ankle injury. A midfield trio of Wataru Endo, Alexis Mac Allister and either Bobby Clark or Harvey Elliott could be on the cards, although a surprise return to the six for Joe Gomez can’t be entirely ruled out.
Up top, Darwin Núñez and Mohamed Salah could both be in contention, with the former scoring the decisive goal against Nottingham Forest and the latter returning to training this week, but with Manchester City looming on Sunday, it is more likely that the trio of Luis Díaz, Cody Gakpo and Harvey Elliott get another start.
What the Managers Said
Jürgen Klopp: We have watched Sparta this week. The coach has turned it around and becoming champions after such a long time, they are playing with a clear idea. They are very intense and we expect a tough game, but we expect ourselves to play a top game and if we do that we’re not a joy to face.”
Brian Priske: “Liverpool are playing great this season and my boys will have their hands full. It is also difficult to predict who will start for them, considering the size and quality of their squad. However, we’re more interested in their style of play than specific personnel.”
The Officials (ESP)
Referee: José María Sánchez
Assistant referees: Raúl Cabañero, Iñigo Prieto
Fourth official: Jesús Gil Manzano
VAR: Juan Martínez Munuera, Ricardo de Burgos
Kickoff is set for 5:45PM GMT/12:45PM EST tomorrow, and television listings for the match can be found on LiveSoccerTV.
In the meantime, and as always, we’ll be keeping you updated with all the buildup to the game, including team news as it’s released, our live matchday thread, and post-match recaps from The Liverpool Offside staff. If you want to join the discussion, sign up for an SB Nation account to have your say on the action as it happens.
