Aiming to take another step towards a spot in the Champions League group stages, Copenhagen and Sparta Prague lock horns in the first leg of their third-round qualifying tie on Tuesday evening.
The Danish powerhouses thumped Breidablik 8-3 on aggregate to breeze through the second round, while their Czech counterparts begin their latest continental quest at this stage.
Two first-half goals did the damage when Copenhagen travelled to Iceland for a second-qualifying round date with Breidablik, who were not fancied by many to pull off a remarkable turnaround when the two sides renewed hostilities in the Danish capital a week later.
A three-goal haul from Breidablik meant that the Icelandic minnows could travel back north with their heads held high, but it was an otherwise humbling experience for Oskar Hrafn Thorvaldsson, who were subjected to a 6-3 mauling by Jacob Neestrup’s Danish champions.
Rather fittingly, Copenhagen’s Icelandic starlet Orri Oskarsson was the star man, as the 18-year-old notched his first goal of the night in first-half injury time and completed his hat-trick by the 56th minute, thereby condemning one of his nation’s home favourites to a premature European exit.
Copenhagen’s recent continental exploits have translated into their customary victories in the Danish Superliga too, as Neestrup’s side have started their title defence with three wins from three, most recently thumping Randers 4-0 on Saturday to maintain their three-point lead over Nordsjaelland.
The 2022-23 season marked Copenhagen’s fifth foray into the Champions League group stages, and they have only been eliminated from the third round of qualifying once in their past eight attempts, but Sparta Prague make their Scandinavian sojourn possessing their own winning feeling.
Skipping the first two rounds of Champions League qualifying thanks to their status as Czech champions, Sparta Prague fended off the threat of bitter adversaries Slavia Prague to add title number 37 to their cabinet last term – their first top-flight crown in nine seasons.
Sparta and Slavia both finished the campaign with 78 points to their name, and the latter team actually possessed a better goal difference when all was said and done in the Championship Group, but Sparta’s superior points tally in the regular season – 68 compared to 66 – proved paramount.
Similarly to Copenhagen, the Maroons have also commenced the defence of their crown with an unblemished record after three matches, opening with victories over Sigma Olomouc and Zlin before a 5-2 demolition job of Pardubice on Saturday.
Summer signing Jan Kuchta opened his account for the campaign with a brace in that seven-goal extravaganza, and Brian Priske is the man at the helm tasked with avoiding yet another third-round qualifying exit for Sparta, who have been eliminated at this stage in their last four appearances in the Champions League.
Former regulars in the Champions League proper, Sparta Prague are still waiting for their first group-stage appearance since the 2005-06 campaign, but their only previous meetings with Copenhagen in the 2009-10 Europa League group stage ended in a pair of 3-0 and 1-0 defeats.
With his side 4-1 up against Breidablik at half time in the second leg, Neestrup was afforded the luxury of making several half-time changes to preserve his side’s energy, but midfielder William Clem lasted just 28 minutes of that encounter.
However, the 19-year-old managed to complete the full 90 in his side’s win over Randers at the weekend, allowing Neestrup to breathe a slight sigh of relief while the experienced Viktor Claesson recovers from an unspecified issue.
Georgian centre-back Davit Khocholava is not expected to return from a knee injury until early October, but the Danish champions are otherwise in good shape, and 17-year-old Roony Bardghji has put his name in the hat for a start after netting in the thrashing of Randers.
In contrast, Sparta Prague are seemingly set to enter Tuesday’s first leg without a single injury concern bedevilling them, and Priske made three half-time alterations in the win over Pardubice in anticipation of their midweek affair.
A permanent arrival from Spartak Moscow this summer following a loan spell last season, Kuchta – who previously donned the colours of Slavia Prague for nine years – will lead the line after Sparta sold Tomas Cvancara to Borussia Monchengladbach for approximately £9m.
Toulouse loanee Veljko Birmancevic should also keep his place in the final third after netting his side’s fifth goal at the weekend, and the same can be said for Lukas Haraslin on the opposite flank.
Copenhagen possible starting lineup:
Grabara; Jelert, Lund, Vavro, Diks; Falk, Clem, Goncalves; Larsson, Oskarsson, Bardghji
Sparta Prague possible starting lineup:
Vindahl Jensen; Krejci, Panak, Vitik; Wiesner, Kairinen, Sadilek, Zeleny; Birmancevic, Kuchta, Haraslin
We say: Copenhagen 3-1 Sparta Prague
Developing a taste for goals in the embryonic stages of the campaign, Copenhagen’s scintillating attacking play should make up for any defensive shortcomings that may arise in the Danish capital this week.
Despite their lack of top-level European experience in recent years, Sparta Prague should prove a sterner test than Breidablik, but we can only envisage Copenhagen travelling to Czechia for the return leg with a healthy advantage.
