Sparta Prague vs AZ – News and Probable Lineups

With the tie delicately balanced, Sparta Prague will take on AZ Alkmaar at epet ARENA on Thursday night to finalize their last-16 tie in the Conference League.

AZ has a slim lead after their victory in the first leg last week, but must remain cautious against a Sparta team that has netted five goals in each of their last two home fixtures.

Match overview

In their third consecutive away match since early March, Sparta Prague seemed on course for a 1-1 draw at AFAS Stadion when Matyas Vojta equalized Troy Parrott’s early goal, only for the Irishman to score again three minutes before the end, sealing the win for AZ.

Returning to the Netherlands for the first time since concluding his time at Feyenoord, Brian Priske witnessed his current team suffer their third consecutive defeat—an occurrence not seen in 10 months.

Nevertheless, the Maroons rebounded in their subsequent league match against Slovacko, triumphing 5-2 largely due to Jan Kuchta’s two goals after coming off the bench.

This result keeps Sparta in contention for second place in the Czech Liga, trailing the dominant leaders Slavia Prague, as they head into the final nine fixtures of the regular season.

With aspirations of reaching their first European quarter-final since being eliminated by Villarreal in the 2016 Europa League, Sparta will aim for their strong home form to play a decisive role once again, having won five straight matches at epet ARENA since Christmas, while recording three clean sheets in that span.

Few teams demonstrate as much disparity between home and away performances as AZ, who followed up their 2-1 win against Sparta with a 4-0 thrashing of Heracles, marking five consecutive victories at home.

As they gear up for their trip to the Czech Republic, Leeroy Echteld’s squad will look to put an end to their one-in-a-row run of road defeats, one of which transpired against Noah in the Conference League knockout rounds.

Remaining seven points away from Champions League qualification in the Eredivisie, De Kaasboeren are now focused on achieving Europa League football for the next season, possibly through success in this year’s Conference League or the KNVB Beker.

While AZ is not strictly required to win Thursday’s match, claiming their third consecutive victory across competitions would certainly boost their chances of finishing the season on a high note.

Having opened the scoring in six of their last seven encounters, AZ’s propensity for quick starts will face a stern challenge at a venue where no visiting team has gone ahead since December.

Team News

Sparta Prague will be without Magnus Andersen and Ondrej Penxa due to knee injuries, while Patrik Vydra is dealing with an ankle issue.

Elias Cobbaut, Sivert Mannsverk, Santiago Eneme, Asger Sorensen, and Peter Vindahl are also unavailable for the hosts, who are waiting for an update on Lukas Haraslin, as he recently left the field injured against Slovacko.

Matej Rynes and Adam Sevinsky (both with muscle injuries) missed the aforementioned match and are questionable for Thursday, along with Emmanuel Uchenna (health problems).

Jordy Clasie remains out with an ankle injury, joining Mateo Chavez and Seiya Maikuma on the injury list for AZ.

Twenty-two-year-old Ro-Zangelo Daal only managed 32 minutes against Heracles before being forced off, making his participation on Thursday uncertain.

Goalkeepers Rome-Jayden Owusu-Oduro and Jeroen Zoet are serious doubts, possibly allowing Hobie Verhulst the opportunity to start for a second consecutive match.

After a standout performance last time out, Troy Parrott has had a hand in five of his team’s last six goals and is certainly a player to keep an eye on.

Sparta Prague probable starting XI:

Cruel; Sonne, Martinec, Zeleny, Kaderabek; Kairinen, Irving; Gimaldo, Sochurek, Mercado; Vojta

AZ Alkmaar probable starting XI:

Verhulst; Cassius, Goes, Penetra, De Wit; Mijnans, Merchants, Blacksmith; Jensen, Parrott, Wesley

AZ’s recent challenges on the road should give Sparta Prague hope of reversing their first-leg deficit, and an engaging contest in the capital is anticipated.

In that context, we foresee a draw, with AZ eventually progressing to the Conference League quarter-finals when everything is settled.