*****The Official Sparta Prague v Rangers Match Thread*****

[G.E.C. 18,790]

Thursday nights are Europa nights.

1745 live on TNT 3.

Before todays performance I would likely bitten your hand off for a draw but confident of going one better.

[Broxi 11,484]

Butland

Tavernier Goldson Souttar Sterling

Raskin Lundstram

Wright Cantwell Sima

Danilo

No idea if Wright will be fit or not, no idea who else will be back from injury either.

[SeparateEntityMyArse 53,729]

UEFA Europa League List A Squad

Goalkeepers: Jack Butland, Robby McCrorie, Kieran Wright 

Defenders: James Tavernier, Connor Goldson, John Souttar, Borna Barisic, Dujon Sterling, Ben Davies 

Midfielders: Jose Cifuentes, Ryan Jack, John Lundstram, Nico Raskin 

Forwards: Cyriel Dessers, Todd Cantwell,  Sam Lammers, Rabbi Matondo, Tom Lawrence, Danilo, Kemar Roofe, Abdallah Sima, Scott Wright 

A player may be registered on List B if he is born on or after January 1, 2002, and since his 15th birthday has been eligible to play for the club for any uninterrupted period of two years. The likes of Leon King and Adam Devine, regular fixtures around the first-team, will be included on List B.

[SeparateEntityMyArse 53,729]

Sterling, Devine or Davies at left back isn't ideal. But probably makes more sense than going to a back 3 that the players aren't used to.

SP are far better than Hivs, but yesterday has given me more confidence that this group of players can lift their game and put in a winning performance.

[sausagetrunks 6,022]

just go out and play to our strengths and have a go 

[graeme_4 34,537]

What a fuck up from Beale not having Ridvan in the squad. 

[gazza87 158]

Please let’s not play sterling. Boy looks like dug meat.

would actually play Davies, bit more experience and has played the position before. Devine for me is an average player, maybe different if it was right back we were talking about 

[AGM_72 3,637]

1 hour ago, graeme_4 said:

What a fuck up from Beale not having Ridvan in the squad.

Another Beale brainwave.

[Colin Traive 22,785]

1 hour ago, graeme_4 said:

What a fuck up from Beale not having Ridvan in the squad. 

Balogun (remember him?) can cover at full back as well but he’s been left out too. 

[McEwan's Lager 30,532]

Don’t think we’ve ever won a European game in Prague:

Dukla in 81/82 lost 3-0
Sparta in 91/92 lost 1-0
Zizkov in 02/03 lost 2-0
Slavia in 20/21 drew 1-1
Sparta in 21/22 lost 1-0



 

[ZZed 4,510]

 

This match will be a good gauge for the manager to see who has something in them to give going forward and who is an empty jersey.

[WilliamMunny 3,238]

Sterling, even Davies can cover LB. Not as worried as others tbh.

[.Williamson. 82,258]

2 minutes ago, ZZed said:

 

This match will be a good gauge for the manager to see who has something in them to give going forward and who is an empty jersey.

No it won’t 

[G.E.C. 18,790]

5 minutes ago, McEwan's Lager said:

Don’t think we’ve ever won a European game in Prague:

Dukla in 81/82 lost 3-0
Sparta in 91/92 lost 1-0
Zizkov in 02/03 lost 2-0
Slavia in 20/21 drew 1-1
Sparta in 21/22 lost 1-0



 

The home tie against Viktoria Zizkov was my first ever European game.

[ZZed 4,510]

23 minutes ago, .Williamson. said:

No it won’t 

Yes it will.

[BroonBear 696]

The wife booked a long weekend in Prague about 8 weeks ago for her and myself. She got B&B, Thursday to Sunday for £325 for both of us. Never clocked the dates until a few weeks ago, so will be taking a walk down to the stadium on Thursday night to see if there are any tickets going spare. 

[Jamie29 764]

35 minutes ago, G.E.C. said:

The home tie against Viktoria Zizkov was my first ever European game.

Same here. Also the reason I hated the away goals rule.

[Stunels 1,244]

Did borna take an injury yesterday?  Missed the start of the game 

[AGC123 1,189]

1 hour ago, G.E.C. said:

The home tie against Viktoria Zizkov was my first ever European game.

Mine too, was heartbreaking 

[superallysbears 7,583]

Tbh my mind is on the domestic front this season, silverware is the no.1 for me.

I take a draw in this one right now but it's big Phillipe's first euro game and hopefully it's a winning one.

[KeyserSoze 14,547]

33 minutes ago, Stunels said:

Did borna take an injury yesterday?  Missed the start of the game 

Yup.  Twisted his eyebrow. Out till January 

[McEwan's Lager 30,532]

38 minutes ago, Stunels said:

Did borna take an injury yesterday?  Missed the start of the game 

If you rewatch the start of the game the first pass he plays he pulls up a wee bit.

[Jakes Pal 5,584]

1 hour ago, McEwan's Lager said:

Don’t think we’ve ever won a European game in Prague:

Dukla in 81/82 lost 3-0
Sparta in 91/92 lost 1-0
Zizkov in 02/03 lost 2-0
Slavia in 20/21 drew 1-1
Sparta in 21/22 lost 1-0



 

Well that is encouraging, I know that in reality there is no such thing as the law of averages, however some may choose to believe that a win in Prague is overdue. I was at Sparta 91/92 not long after the iron curtain fell, it was still basically a Communist country and we were like millionaires, it was something like 10p for a litre, yes litre not pint of what in my opinion is the best beer in the World. Those making the journey to Prague are in for a treat beer wise but I imagine that it will be a bit more expensive now, and given that our last two trips there have not exactly been cordial, I would imagine that the natives will not be so friendly.

After the last horror show in the group I was fearing the worst, but now that we seem to have someone in charge who can actually organize a team, I am hopeful if not overly confident of getting the overdue win in Prague and setting us up nicely for the return fixture.

[Blue Nosed Babe 20,693]

I will take any result

[.Williamson. 82,258]

1 hour ago, ZZed said:

Yes it will.

You think a game against a side that’s above anything we will face domestically will be a good gauge of what the manager has to work with? It won’t be