FCSB vs Sparta Prague prediction 13.08.2024 | Champions League

• Competition: Champions League Qualifiers, 3rd Round, 2nd Leg
• Date: Tuesday, 13th August, 2024
• Kickoff: 19:30 UK / 20:30 CEST
• Venue: Stadionul Steaua (Bucharest)

Following a 1:1 draw in Prague, Romanian and Czech champs, FCSB and Sparta Prague, will face off in the second leg of the third Round of the Champions League Qualifiers. The second leg will be played at Stadionul Steaua in Bucharest.

FCSB are a team with the most silverware in Romania, winning the league title 27 times. However, their last season's triumph came after almost a decade of wait, as their previous one was in the 2014/15 season. This year, FCSB have shown two contrasting faces - one in the domestic league, where they have struggled with just five points in four rounds, and another in the Champions League Qualifiers, where they eliminated Maccabi Tel Aviv in the previous round. The reason why FCSB plays a lot better in the CL is that they are resting almost all players from the starting eleven in the domestic league and have their focus on securing the Champions League Group phase for the first time since the 2013/14 season.

Meanwhile, Sparta Prague came into this season as back-to-back Czech champions, having also secured the domestic cup last season and reaching the Europa League knockout stage. This year, they've maintained their dominance in the domestic league, winning all four of their league matches at the start. In Europe, Sparta had an easy job as they faced Shamrock Rovers in the previous round. However, after a home draw in the first leg against FCSB, they face a challenging task to advance to the playoff round. Despite this, bookmakers still favor Sparta to progress, offering odds of 1.5 on them to secure the next stage.

FCSB vs Sparta Prague pick: FCSB to win or draw

In the first leg, despite Sparta Prague having more possession, FCSB appeared to be a more dangerous team. Sparta struggled to defend in transition, with their defenders frequently making unforced errors. It was almost miraculous that they weren't punished for these mistakes, and if they repeat such performance, we do not believe they will be as lucky.

At first glance, Sparta Prague appears to be in better form, but we believe that is deceiving because FCSB have been consistently resting their key players to ensure they are fresh for the Champions League Qualifiers.

Additionally, most of Sparta's good games in Europe happened at home. In seven road games in Europe last year, they only won once - against Aris Limassol. So, if they failed to impress at home in the first leg, we do not expect them to do much better on the road against a team they never won in six h2h matches.

Considering all the above, FCSB should be more than capable of securing a positive result at Stadionul Steaua