The hosts dropped down from the UEFA Champions League courtesy of finishing third in Group A, while Iron Sparta were runners-up in Group C of Europe's second tier club competition.
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Galatasaray will play host to Sparta Prague in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League knockout round playoff at Adams Park on Thursday. The hosts dropped down from the UEFA Champions League courtesy of finishing third in Group A, while Iron Sparta were runners-up in Group C of Europe’s second tier club competition, thus missing out on a spot in the round of 16. Meanwhile, both sides are heading into the match on the back of comprehensive wins in their league outings at the weekend, with the Turkish side getting the better of Istanbul Basaksehir 2-0, while the visitors thrashed Karvina 3-0 in the Czech First League.
IT’S A #UEL WEEK 🤩 pic.twitter.com/Z7sIKaVXfo
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) February 12, 2024
Galatasaray started their Champions League group stage campaign positively, taking four points from its first two outings, but then faltered, losing three of their next four to finish with just five points to their name. Nevertheless, since the narrow 1-0 defeat to second-laced Copenhagen in their final group-fixture on December 12, Aslansar have recorded a 12-game unbeaten run in all competitions, winning each of their last eight fixtures in the period. On Saturday, the Yellow-Reds defeated Basaksehir in the Super Lig thanks to first-half efforts from Baris Alper Yilmaz and Dries Mertens. It was Galatasaray’s 21st top flight victory of the season, and they are currently sitting at the summit of the standings, with 66 points to their name from 26 games, two clear of the chasing pack.
Sparta Prague, on the other hand, recorded three wins, one draw and two defeats from their six Group C games to collect 10 points, just one adrift of group-winners Rangers, and a solitary point clear of third-placed Real Betis. Back-to-back Europa League-wins over Betis and Aris Limassol helped Iron Sparta overtake the the Green and Whites and earn a spot in the last-32 stage of Europe’s second tier club competition. Meanwhile, just like Galatasaray, Brian Priske’s side are also heading into the match on the back of a stunning winning run in their last eight competitive outings. The Cezh outfit put three goals past Karvina on Saturday thanks to one effort each from Ladislav Krejci, Adam Karabec and Jan Kuchta. It was Iron Sparta’s 17th top flight victory of the season, taking their tally to 50 points from 20 league-games, just one clear of second-placed Slavia Praha in the Czech First League table.
Galatasaray probable starting lineup: Muslera, Ayhan, Sanchez, Nelsson, Kutlu, Demirbay, Torreira, Yilmaz, Mertens, Zaha, Icardi
Sparta Prague probable starting lineup: Vindahl, Vitik, Krejci, Panak, Preciado, Kairinen, Laci, Zeleny, Karabec, Kuchta, Birmancevic
Galatasaray
| Opponents | Score |
| Basaksehir | 2-0 (W) |
| Bandirmaspor | 4-2 (W) |
| Samsunspor | 0-2 (W) |
| Gaziantep | 2-1 (W) |
| Istanbulspor AS | 3-1 (W) |
Sparta Prague
| Opponents | Score |
| Karvina | 0-3 (W) |
| Malmo FF | 1-2 (W) |
| Bodo/Glimt | 0-2 (W) |
| Puskas Academy | 0-2 (W) |
| FC Copenhagen | 2-0 (W) |
| Last 2 match-results | Score |
| Galatasaray beat Sparta Prague | 2-0 |
| Sparta Prague beat Galatasaray | 0-3 |
The Europa League fixture between Galatasaray and Sparta Prague will take place at Adams Park on Thursday at 11:15 pm IST.
| Galatasaray vs Sparta Prague | Key Details |
| Date | February 15 |
| Venue | Adams Park |
| Kickoff time in Turkey | 8:45 pm |
| Kickoff time in Czech Republic | 6:45 pm |
| Kickoff time in India | 11:15 pm |
The live telecast of the UEFA Europa League matches in India will be available on Sony Sports network. Besides, football fans in India can also live stream the game through Sony LIV. Meanwhile, those in Turkey can watch the match on Exxen. Football fans in Czech Republic can catch the live action via CT Sport.
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