Sparta strong favourites for title
Friday, February 25, 2005
Article summary
AC Sparta Praha restart the Czech season with a nine-point lead, the largest gap since the league began.
Article body
By Josef Ladislav
AC Sparta Praha restart the Czech season following the winter break with a nine-point lead over nearest rivals FK Teplice – the widest gap at the top since the league began in 1993.
New coach
Sparta's bid to win the title for the ninth time in its 12-year existence will now be under the direction of new coach Jaroslav Hřebík, who replaced František Straka last December. Miroslav Matušovič, who scored 16 league goals in a season and a half with FC Baník Ostrava, is another newcomer.
Trio remain
More good news for Sparta is that First Division top scorer Tomáš Jun, goalkeeper Jaromír Blažek and central defender Radoslav Kováč all remain at the club despite offers from abroad. Sparta should kick off the second half of the campaign with a win against bottom side SFC Opava on Monday.
Big improvement
Teplice, who have never won the championship, are second and though nine points adrift, they have improved enormously since last season when they finished ninth. Much of that is down to coach Vlastislav Mareček who arrived last summer.
Golden Jubilee
Teplice, from northern Bohemia, are celebrating their 60th anniversary and could make it a year to remember by qualifying for the preliminary rounds of the UEFA Champions League if they stay second. If they do that, it will largely have to be without experienced defender Tomáš Hunal, who broke his ankle at a training camp in Cyprus last week and will be out for at least two months.
Fading champions
Baník, the 2004 champions, are virtually out of contention, 20 points behind Sparta and back in eighth place. Their challenge has faded after seven matches without a win since Jozef Jarabinský took over as coach. Some key departures have not helped their cause either.
Notable addition
Not only did Matušovič join Sparta, but fellow forward Marcel Lička left for Serie A club AS Livorno Calcio, and Slovakian goalkeeper Miroslav König returned home to MŠK Žilina. His compatriot, defender Maroš Klimpl from FC Viktoria Žižkov, is the only notable addition.
