Malmö will welcome Sparta Prague to Eleda Stadion for the first leg of their UEFA Champions League playoff tie on Wednesday. The hosts are coming into the game on the back of a 2-1 comeback win over Norrkoping at the same venue in the Swedish Allsvenskan on Saturday. They went behind to Isak Sigurgeirsson's 21st-minute strike but were level nine minutes later through Anders Christiansen. Lasse Johnsen scored the match-winner with 12 minutes left on the clock.
The Sky Blue will turn their focus back to the continent and booked their spot at this stage with a 6-5 aggregate win over PAOK in the last round of the qualifiers. A 2-2 draw at home in the first leg was followed by a 4-3 extra-time victory in Greece.
Sparta, meanwhile, saw off Jablonec with a 2-1 away win in the Czechia Chance Liga. Lukas Haraslin put them ahead in the 38th minute while Indrit Tuci doubled the visitors' lead midway through the second half. Jakub Martinec halved the deficit in the 88th minute.
The Maroons booked their spot in the playoff with a 4-3 aggregate win over FCSB in the third qualification round. A 1-1 draw at home was followed by a 3-2 away win in Romania.
The winner of this tie advances to the Champions League group stage while the losers drop to the UEFA Europa League.
Team News and Injuries
Malmo predicted XI: Dahlin; Larsen, Jansson, Zatterstrom, Busanello; Rieks, Pena, Johnsen, Nanasi; Botheim, Thelin.
For Sparta Prague, summer signing Imanol García de Albéniz has missed the last two matches due to an unspecified injury and is unlikely to be fit for the clash against Malmö. There are no fresh injury concerns for the team ahead of their game against Malmo.
Sparta Prague possible XI: Vindahl; Vitik, Sorensen, Zeleny; Preciado, Laci, Kairinen, Rynes; Birmancevic, Olatunji, Haraslin.
Head-to-Head
In 2014, these teams faced each other in the Champions League qualifiers, and the Swedes advanced on the away goals rule: 4-2 in the Czech Republic, 2-0 at home. The clubs later exchanged wins in friendly matches.
Recent Form and Key Players
Malmö left it late to qualify against PAOK, having been seconds away from elimination until a last-gasp injury-time equalizer. Sparta have tended to struggle in the Champions League qualifiers but the Czechia champions will be full of confidence owing to the massive steps they've taken in recent years.
How to Watch Malmö vs. Sparta Prague
The match will be played at the Eleda Stadium on Wednesday, with kick-off at 3 pm EST for fans in the US. The match will be shown live on Paramount+ and ViX in the US. Live updates can be found here on GOAL. If you are abroad, you may need to use a virtual private network (VPN) in order to watch games using your usual streaming service. A VPN, such as NordVPN, allows you to establish a secure connection online when streaming. If you are not sure which VPN to use, check out GOAL's guide to the best VPNs for streaming sport.
Prediction
We are backing the two sides to share the spoils in a high-scoring stalemate.
Prediction: Malmo 2-2 Sparta Prague
Betting Tips
- [Tip 1 - Result: Draw
- Tip 2 - Both teams to score
- Tip 3 - Over 2.5 goals](https://www.freetips.com/football/uefa-champions-league/malmo-vs-sparta-prague-tips-20240820-0011/)
Final Thoughts
This is a crucial encounter for both clubs as they vie for a place in the Champions League group stage. Malmö will be looking to leverage their home advantage, while Sparta will be aiming for a positive result away from home. The match promises to be an exciting and intense affair, with both teams possessing the attacking firepower to make it a high-scoring encounter.
