Inter Milan vs Sparta Prague: Preview and Prediction

Inter Milan vs Sparta Prague
UEFA Europa League – Matchday 6
Date: Thursday, 8th December 2016,
Kick-Off at 20:05 UK
Venue: San Siro, Milan.

Inter Milan’s fate in the Europa League 2016/17 is sealed with the 3-2 defeat away from home at Hapoel Be’er Sheva. The Serie A side were leading 2-0 through first half goals from Icardi and Brozovic before Be’er Sheva mounted a late comeback midway through the second half. With a lone win against Southampton at home and 4 defeats, Inter are bottom of the group and are eliminated from the competition.

Sparta Prague defeated Southampton 1-0 at home to snatch the top spot in the group with a match in hand. They started the competition with a 3-0 defeat to the Premier League side, but 4 wins in 4 matches gave them an unbeatable lead. They haven’t conceded in the last three group games.

Inter Milan vs Sparta Prague: Head-to-head stats

The first leg clash which ended in a 3-1 win for Sparta in their only meeting against Inter Milan.

Sparta Prague’s overall record against Italian sides is a poor one as they managed only 5 wins from 25 meetings, with 4 of them coming at home. While they lost and drawn 10 each. The record while playing away from home in Italy is 1 win, 3 draws and 8 losses from 12 matches.

Inter Milan’s only other Czech opponent in a UEFA tournament is Dukla Prague, whom they defeated 1-0 in their only previous trip to Prague in 1986. While the home fixture in Milan was a goal-less draw.

Inter Milan vs Sparta Prague: Prediction

There are hardly any positives to find from the way Inter Milan are playing at the moment. They suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat to Napoli on the weekend, which is their fourth defeat in 6 matches in all competitions. However, they have picked up 4 straight wins at home in all competitions.

Sparta Prague are on a 7 match unbeaten run at the moment with 6 wins to their name during the period. However, they are third in the Czech league, which will prompt the manager to rest key players here. We will go with Inter’s home form here and it will be wise to back them to sign off the tournament with a win.