Celtic vs Sparta Prague Prediction & Betting Tips - Europa League

Prediction published on 03/11/2020, 00:29  by Daniel Ngulu | Modified on 03/11/2020 at 00:29 in Europa League Predictions

The past few matches have not offered Celtic a lot of comfort and they will be hoping to start a stable run when they play host to Sparta Praha in Group H of the Europa League this Thursday. The two sides occupy the bottom slots in the group, Celtic third on one point and Sparta Praha fourth without a point so far. It has been tough for Celtic in this campaign, early as it is. They were eliminated from the Champions League qualifiers by Hungarian side Ferencvaros and going to this game, they trail Rangers in their domestic league by nine points. The Glasgow giants only managed their first win in five matches in their last outing – a 2-0 win over Aberdeen, which was also the first time in five matches that they kept a clean sheet. In the previous four, they conceded two or more goals, pointing to a very shaky backline, though they have scored two or more in each of their last four matches. Celtic have three wins in their last five home matches but two of their last three have ended in defeat – against Rangers in the league and Milan in Europa League. The team has won just two of the last seven Europa League matches but have scored in each of the last six. They will be hoping to win at home after two straight losses in the competition. In their last four home matches in Europa League, Celtic have not kept a clean sheet but they have scored in each of the last six.

Sparta Praha on the other hand, sit pretty atop the Czech league after winning each of their six matches so far. The script has however been different in Europe, with the side on two straight losses in Group H. They actually have no win in their last four Europa League matches and in each of them they have conceded two or more goals. In the last two weeks, their focus has been on the Europa League, with no domestic games to interrupt their preparations. They have suffered losses in both matches that have come during that period, conceding seven goals and scoring once. In their last seven matches, across all competitions, Sparta Praha have managed only one clean sheet, but they have failed to score in just one game – their 3-0 loss to AC Milan. They have scored two goals or more in five of their last seven matches and will feel they can impose themselves over Celtic in this game. However, with one win in 11 Europa League matches, their targets could be harder to achieve in Glasgow, especially seeing that they have lost each of their last six away games in this competition. In four of their last six away matches in the competition, Sparta Praha have failed to score and in the four matches they have managed to score out of 10 on the road, it has been below two goals. Eight times in the last 10 away matches in the competition, they have conceded two goals or more.