Predictions Champions League - Manchester City vs Sparta Prague

Champions League - Manchester City vs Sparta Prague
Match Time: 24-10-2024 02:00 Thursday (GMT+7)
Football Livescore | Match Prediction & Tips
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Man City have extended their unbeaten run across all competitions in the 2024-25 campaign to 12 matches and are the only Premier League team who are yet to lose this season after beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 at Molineux on Sunday.

The Citizens, who dominated the contest with almost 80% possession, 22 shots and 18 corners, were force to come from behind to claim maximum points, with a stunning 20-yard strike from Josko Gvardiol cancelling out Jorgen Strand Larsen's early opener, before John Stones powered home a dramatic 95th-minute header.

Victory for Pep Guardiola's side has seen them create a new club landmark of going 31 matches unbeaten (W25 D6) in the Premier League, and they will get the chance to etch their name into Champions League folklore in Wednesday's favourable-looking fixture against Sparta Prague.

Indeed, if Man City merely avoid defeat against the Maroons, they will set a new record for the longest unbeaten run in European Cup/Champions League history. The Citizens currently boast a 25-match unbeaten run (W17 D8), scoring 64 goals and conceding just 18 in the process, and most recently beat Slovan Bratislava 4-0 in Slovakia three weeks ago.

The 2023 UCL winners, who will also surpass Real Madrid's 32-game unbeaten home run set back in 1990 if they avoid defeat on Wednesday, have only previously faced one Czechia outfit in their history, beating Viktoria Plzen 3-0 away and winning 4-2 at home in the 2013-14 Champions League group stage.

Competing in the Champions League for the first time in almost two decades, Sparta Prague have made a somewhat surprising yet impressive start to the league phase of this season's newly-expanded competition, picking up four points from their opening two matches.

After navigating their way past Shamrock Rovers, FCSB and Malmo in the qualifying rounds, the Maroons secured a 3-0 victory at home to Red Bull Salzburg on matchday one, before holding Bundesliga outfit Stuttgart to a 1-1 draw in Germany three weeks ago.

That draw took place in between two defeats in the Czech First League, but they returned to winning ways on Saturday as they beat Slovan Liberec 2-1 on home soil, courtesy of goals from Tomas Wiesner and Lukas Haraslin, the latter came off the substitutes' bench to score a 79th-minute winner.

Lars Friis's side, who won a record-extending 35th Czech top-flight title last season, currently sit second in the table with 25 points after 11 matches, three points behind leaders Slavia Prague - who have a game in hand - and one point ahead of third-placed Viktoria Plzen, who they lock horns with on Sunday.

Sparta must first test their mettle in the Champions League against Man City, who will become the ninth different English side they have faced in European competition. The Maroons have only won four of their previous 22 meetings with English clubs and most recently lost to Liverpool in the last 16 of the Europa League by an aggregate score of 11-2 last season.

Prediction: Manchester City 3-1 Sparta Prague