Sparta Prague vs Rostov Predictions, Betting Tips and Match Previews

Sparta Prague knew it would be difficult visiting Rostov last week, but they weren’t expecting to be on the end of a thrashing by any means. The visitors were reduced to ten men after half an hour, and already being 1-0 down, they struggled to contain a determined Rostov side. The Russians went on to win the first leg 4-0, and not many could argue against it being a deserved victory.

Sparta Prague did bounce back with a 1-0 win in the Czech Liga on Sunday, but they are going to need to put in the performance of a lifetime to turn this tie around. They are four goals in the red and don’t even have an away goal to help them.

At home they are in good shape, winning 12 and losing none of their last 14 matches. In the Europa League they won all three of their group games against Inter Milan, Hapoel Be’er Sheva, and Southampton. They should be able to take the win on Thursday night, but it’s very unlikely they can turn the tie around.

Rostov are still in the midst of their long Russian Premier League winter break, meaning they have had an extra few days of rest in between these fixtures. They don’t return to action domestically until the start of March, but prior to this break they were in decent shape.

They have won four, drawn three, and lost just one of their last eight competitive matches, but due to a poor start to the campaign they find themselves down in 8th position in the league table. That shouldn’t distract them on Thursday though.

Away from home wins have been much harder to come by. Competitively they are winless on the road since the start of August, which was a 2-0 win over Anderlecht in the Champions League qualifiers. They have since lost nine and drawn four of their 13 games, including picking up just one point on the road in their Champions League group stage matches.

I do think Sparta Prague have a win in them here, and considering Rostov’s terrible away form, odds of 19/20 for a home win look good value for money. However, I don’t think they can turn such a deficit around, so I’m backing a 2-0 correct score predictions at 15/2 as well.