Sparta Prague vs Slovan Liberec
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Today’s free tip is in the Czechia Liga 1 encounter between Sparta Prague and Slovan Liberec.
Some things may not be their fault, but Sparta Prague sure are trying hard to not win the title this season, it seems. It’s the best version of Sparta Prague I’ve seen for quite a lot of years now, at least when it comes to actual displays. On paper, it’s ironically one of the weaker sides. I guess it just goes to show that money sometimes does indeed cause more problems than it solves.
They’ve had boatloads of injuries this season, Sparta Prague – I feel sorry for them there. However, not finding a replacement for goalkeeper Heca is really a bit too poor; he’s made too many mistakes. The lack of understanding between him and the Sparta Prague defence is terrifying, and will almost always result in teams having a damn good chance of scoring at least once against them. That task was made harder by the long-term injury to Slovakian defender Stetina, who is still out today. How they’ve also lost Krejci II too, who is suspended – and rightly so. He’s been asking for trouble for two years now with over-zealous challenges and flailing elbows when leaping. Well, the latter finally bit him in the arse against Pardubice, and he saw red. Not only that, but he’s been given a ban for a few games. Given that he’s the most powerful and dependable midfield force they’ve got to stop teams exposing their defensive weaknesses, that’s a big problem.
Fortunately, the Sparta Prague attack is intact at least. Well, not entirely intact, but more intact than it has been for a while. Wonderkid Hlozek and target man Kozak are both still out, but Julis has been marvellous this season so they’ve not noticed Kozak’s absence anywhere near as much as they should have. The presence of natural creators like Dockal and Pavelka help to offset Hlozek’s absence too, although they seem to lack his natural penetration and ability to ghost between lines. Still, there’s enough there for Sparta Prague to score goals so the title dream remains alive, even if their defending doesn’t support such.
I think the capital club are in for a really tough game today. I mean, Slovan Liberec are a good side anyway, but when bolstered by Slavia Prague’s loanees, it makes them even stronger. What better way for those folk to endear themselves to their parent club than to do some damage to their bitter rivals? Slovan Liberec are strong enough mentally to do it too. After being dusted down by Slavia Prague, they humped Opava and Mlada Boleslav 2-0 and 3-0 respectively, very much back in the driving seat. They look a lot fitter and more consistent now that they’re not playing in the UEFA Europa League too. This is a team to take seriously now that their newbies have galvanised.
I rather like their defensive setup too, especially when Kacharaba is playing. It’s very solid and consistent; the panicking there is minimal. There can’t be many better goalkeepers in Czechia right now than Nguyen either. Unfortunately, they’re facing a very good attack today so it’s unlikely to matter too much as to how good Slovan Liberec are at controlling games and keeping teams at arm’s length. As much as they’ve improved, they’re still not on the same level as the likes of Sparta Prague so they need to focus more on what they can do in the final third here.
Luckily, they’re well-stocked there too. Mosquera has been marvellous there, this season, for example. Rabusic has become the striker we all knew he could be with the right support. Helal is capable of producing something from nothing, and both Hromada and Pesek are capable of being match-winning midfielders at this level. Hoftych has a really good, well-balanced side here, in a nutshell. They’re not a team to take lightly, and I think that Sparta Prague will have to do very well to win the match.
For me, backing both teams to score at 4/5 is the logical call to make here.
Verdict: Both teams to score at 4/5.
Tuesday’s Thoughts
As ever, if there are any explanations required then please feel free to post a comment! For the remainder of my thoughts on today’s games, see below, although I feel compelled to write that the below are not necessarily my tips but merely my thoughts. For confidence ratings, you’ll need to go to the members section here.
Czech Republic Liga 1:
Sigma Olomouc vs Baumit Jablonec
Sparta Prague vs Slovan Liberec
English League Cup:
Brentford vs Newcastle United
Arsenal vs Manchester City
German DFB Pokal:
Augsburg vs RB Leipzig
Koln vs Osnabruck
TSG Hoffenheim vs Greuther Furth
Ulm vs Schalke 04
Eintracht Braunschweig vs Bv09 Borussia Dortmund
Union Berlin vs Paderborn 07
Elversberg vs Borussia Moenchengladbach
Dynamo Dresden vs Darmstadt 98
Israeli Ligat Ha’al:
MS Ashdod vs Hapoel Haifa
Hapoel Hadera vs Maccabi Netanya
Maccabi Haifa vs Bnei Yehuda Tel-Aviv
Italian Serie A:
Crotone vs Parma
Juventus vs ACF Fiorentina
Dutch Eredivisie:
Fortuna Sittard vs RKC Waalwijk
FC Emmen vs FC Utrecht
PSV Eindhoven vs VVV Venlo
FC Twente Enschede vs Sparta Rotterdam
Norwegian Eliteserien:
Kristiansund vs Haugesund
Brann Bergen vs Odd
Valerenga Oslo vs Start Kristiansand
Stromsgodset vs Stabaek
Mjondalen vs Aalesund FK
Sandefjord vs Rosenborg BK
Portuguese Liga 1:
Sporting Braga vs Rio Ave
Spanish Primera Liga:
Valencia CF vs Sevilla CF
Elche vs CA Osasuna
Huesca vs Levante CF
Real Sociedad vs Atletico Madrid
Real Valladolid vs Barcelona CF
Villarreal CF vs Athletic Club
Swiss Super League:
St. Gallen vs Young Boys Bern
Swiss Challenge League:
Chiasso vs FC Schaffhausen
Stade Lausanne-Ouchy vs FC Wil
Neuchatel Xamax vs Winterthur
Turkish Super Lig:
Hatayaspor vs Trabzonspor
Galatasaray vs Goztepe
Enjoy your free betting tips!