Galatasaray v Sparta Prague

Galatasaray vs Sparta Prague Preview

Turkish hosts, Galatasaray, are another side that have earned a second chance in European competition following a third place finish in Group A of the Champions League as they were pipped to second place by FC Copenhagen but nevertheless, Galatasaray will be confident that they can make a fast start to this two-legged tie against Sparta Prague having won their last eight matches on the trot, while Sparta Prague finished runners-up to Scottish club Rangers in Group C in the Europa League.

Since the disappointment of losing 1-0 away from home at FC Copenhagen back in mid-December which effectively ended their Champions League ambitions, Galatasaray have embarked upon an impressive 12-match unbeaten sequence in all competitions which include picking up no fewer than 10 wins in the process, all of which have been on the domestic front.

The Turkish hosts will therefore be eager to transfer their excellent domestic form onto the European stage on Thursday evening especially as the bigger picture shows Galatasaray have been dealt just the one defeat out of their last 17 games in all competitions.

In addition, Galatasaray have won 11 of their last 12 home games overall and Okan Buruk's side will back themselves to make the most of home advantage in this 1st leg.

Sparta Prague have also produced an impressive string of results overall in all competitions as the Czech Republic outfit have won their last 12 games on the trot which includes wins in the group stage of the Europa League against the likes of Spanish club Real Betis and a 3-1 win away from home at Cypriot outfit Aris Limassol.

The visitors had previously finished runners-up to Scottish Premiership side Rangers in a tightly contested Group C with the Czech Republic side beating off their closest rivals Real Betis for a top two finish thanks to that 1-0 home win against their Spanish counterparts towards the end of November.

Brian Priske's side have also won their last six away games on the trot, three of which were gained in the domestic Czech Liga with victories collected on the road at Banik Ostrava, Pardubice and Karvina but results away from home at Europa League level have been frankly disastrous for the visitors.

Sparta Prague have managed to capture just two wins from their last 15 outings on the road in this competition which were gained at Celtic and the aforementioned Aris Limassol, but having also stumbled to 12 defeats within this period as well, the Czech Republic visitors look to have their work cut out ahead of this trip to Istanbul on Thursday evening.

Galatasaray v Sparta Prague Verdict

Galatasaray's strong home form should see them over the line in this 1st leg in Istanbul.

Therefore, our main bet will be Galatasaray win @ 1.66

Other side bets worth considering:

Galatasaray win & Under 2.5 goals @ 4.33

Correct Score: Galatasaray 1-0 @ 7.50