Sparta Prague vs Liverpool LIVE: Europa League result and reaction as Reds score five in last-16 first leg
Sparta Prague 1-5 Liverpool: The Red ran riot away from home and have one foot in the next round
Liverpool got their Europa League knockout rounds off to a fabulous start by hammering Sparta Prague 4-1 away from home in the first leg of their last-16 tie.
Despite a looming Premier League clash against Manchester City, Jurgen Klopp named strong starting line-up and was rewarded immediately as Alexis Mac Allister won and converted a penalty inside the first six minutes.
Sparta almost responded through Lukas Haraslin but Caoimhin Kelleher proved to be a strong deputy for Alisson Becker making the first of a series of solid saves throughout the night.
Darwin Nunez then curled home a beautifully long-ranged effort halfway through the first half before a guided finish on the stroke of half-time from the Uruguayan brought Liverpool a third.
The hosts did earn a deserved goal straight after the restart. Veljko Birmancevic nipped in behind on the right side and forced a back-tracking Conor Bradley to turn the ball into his own net.
Liverpool got the last word though as Luis Diaz’s deflected shot hit the back of the net and Dominik Szoboszlai scored late in stoppage time to ensure they bring a big cushion back to Anfield for the second leg next week.
Relive the action from the Europa League in the blog below and get the latest odds and tips here:
Priske knows already knows his starting XI to face Liverpool
Sparta Prague coach Brian Priske spoke at a pre-match press conference this week saying that he has a strong squad of players to select from for tonight’s match and already knows who will be starting.
“The boys are well prepared, they got the line-up today [Wednesday] like we always do,” said Priske. “I think they need to prepare in the best way possible so I always give them the line-up the day before.
“Fitness-wise, we’re looking good, there’s only a few question marks over the last couple of days.
“We had a de-load day yesterday [Tuesday] where the boys didn’t do much, so physically they should be ready for another 90 minutes with a lot of intensity.”
The Champions League has gone stale and is past the point of no return
If the Champions League this week left you feeling bored - and that’s if you were even watching in the first place - it wasn’t quite the sentiment being shared within Uefa.
There is excitement at the fact the quarter-finals is now close to having one club from each of its major TV markets: that’s England, Spain, Germany and France, with Italy still able to make it five from five. This, in the words of Uefa insiders, is much more important than actually competitive and compelling ties.
It is a motivation that explains how the competition has gone so stale, as well as how the wider European football landscape has completely stagnated. The Champions League is only becoming as predictable as many domestic leagues. Profit has been prioritised over the health of the game, leading to growing financial disparities that are now beginning to existentially threaten the sport’s lifeblood of unpredictability.
The Champions League has gone stale and is past the point of no return
This week’s dull knockout ties showed the direction elite football has been heading towards for some time, writes Miguel Delaney
Klopp gives an update on Szoboszlai
Dominik Szoboszlai is available again for selection after making a comeback off the bench in last weekend’s late victory over Nottingham Forest.
Jurgen Klopp said: “It was not an injury where it was painful every day or whatever, he was just not allowed to train properly, how it is with muscle injuries.
“So, that’s the reason why we had to be careful in his rehab, because if you would have asked Dom, he could have trained completely with the team for two or three weeks, but all the medical advice told us no, we have to wait. And that’s what we did.
“Now he is back, played a few minutes, is in the squad. All the rest, we will see.”
Liverpool boosted by Salah return
Mo Salah’s return to action comes at an ideal time for Liverpool as they prepare for Sparta Prague this evening and Manchester City on Sunday.
The 31-year-old has scored 19 goals for Liverpool this season, including 15 in 21 Premier League games.
It would be surprising if Salah were to start tonight though he may make an appearance off the bench to see how his match fitness is ahead of that crucial Premier League clash.
‘So good’ to have Salah back says Klopp
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp says ‘it’s so good’ to have Mohamed Salah is back in his squad ahead of the Europa League last-16 first leg against Sparta Prague.
Salah suffered a hamstring injury playing for Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations in January but has only featured once as a substitute since/
"Mo travelled. He’s with us, he trained two days," said Klopp, "Full of energy. We have to see but it’s so good that he’s back. It’s really good for us and you can see he’s very happy.
"A very unlucky situation [him] being out that long. He played an incredible game at Brentford and was then out again."
Liverpool star Mohamed Salah back from injury and could feature at Sparta Prague
Mohamed Salah will begin his build-up to Sunday’s clash with title rivals Manchester City with minutes in the Europa League against Sparta Prague after recovering from injury.
Klopp admits the Egypt international would not normally be in the squad after only returning to training on Tuesday but the current injury situation – there are at least nine first-team players absent – and the context of the season means he travelled with the squad.
And with the weekend’s Premier League encounter against City looming large, the 31-year-old – who has played just 46 minutes in one substitute appearance against Brentford since leaving the Africa Cup of Nations early with a hamstring injury on January 18 – will get a chance to shake off the rust.
Liverpool star Mohamed Salah back from injury and could feature at Sparta Prague
The Egypt international only returned to training on Tuesday but the Reds face Premier League title rivals Manchester City on Sunday.
Sparta Prague vs Liverpool prediction
With a potential Premier League decider against Manchester City on the horizon, Jurgen Klopp will be wary of over tasking his key players especially those making a return from injury like Mo Salah.
Expect a team mixed of exciting youth and experienced leaders like Virgil van Dijk to take to the park against Spart Prague. This low-key Liverpool should get enough of a job done to put them in the driving seat in the second leg at Anfield.
Sparta Prague 1-1 Liverpool.
Sparta Prague vs Liverpool predicted line-ups
Sparta Prague XI: Vindahl, Vitik, Krejci, Sorensen, Preciado, Laci, Kairinen, Rynes, Birmancevic, Kuchta, Haraslin
Liverpool XI: Kelleher, Bradley, Quansah, Gomez, Tsimikas, Endo, Clark, McConnell, Elliott, Danns, Gakpo
What is the early team news?
Liverpool remain without long-term absentees Thiago, Alisson, Joel Matip, Stefan Bajcetic, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Diogo Jota and Curtis Jones.
Ryan Gravenberch is still out too and it’s yet to be determined if Mohamed Salah is ready to return - but Liverpool will surely take no risks with him ahead of Man City.
Sparta Prague might be without Filip Panak in defence but they are otherwise able to pick from a full squad.
How to watch Sparta Prague vs Liverpool
Sparta Prague vs Liverpool kicks off at 5:45pm GMT on Thursday 7 March.
All Europa League games are broadcast live on TNT Sports. This match is being shown on TNT Sports 1 with coverage beginning at 5pm GMT.
Subscribers can also stream via the Discovery + app and TNT website.
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