Nothing to lose for Sparta

By Ben Lyttleton

AC Sparta Praha know all about beating the odds to knock out Italian opposition in the UEFA Champions League this season. The reigning Czech champions only qualified for the knockout stages after Marek Kincl's 93rd-minute winner over S.S. Lazio on Matchday 6 sealed second place in Group G. This week their task will be just as difficult when another Italian side, AC Milan, travel to Prague for Tuesday's first knock-out round match.

Italian experience
Sparta captain Karel Poborský spent 18 months playing for Lazio in Serie A and knows all about the strength of current Champions League holders Milan. "I know I shouldn't say it, but in my opinion Milan are favourites for this tie," he said. "Milan have a lot of excellent players. I can't pick out just one of their stars because I wouldn't like to offend the others."

Key player
Poborský has proved himself to be Sparta's key player in the competition this season, scoring vital goals against Lazio in Matchday 2's 2-2 draw and the winner against Besiktas JK on Matchday 3. He also set up Kincl for that dramatic winning header against Lazio on Matchday 6. As Sparta coach Jirí Kotrba said: "When Karel is missing we have problems."

Close contest
Czech Republic midfield player Poborský troubled Italy's defence in last week's international in Palermo, which finished 2-2, but he is not expecting as many goals this time around. "Milan's priority will be not to concede a goal away from home," he said. "They rarely concede goals but they don't score that many either. I think there will only be one or two goals separating the sides."

Home advantage
He continued: "We will fight on Tuesday like we always do in this competition - by giving 100 per cent. I think it is an advantage for us to play the first match at the Letná stadium. The second leg at the San Siro will probably decide the winner, and that will be an emotional atmosphere."

New blood
Kotrba has changed the squad since before the winter break: Kincl has joined FC Zenit St. Peterburg in Russia and Libor Sionko has moved to FK Austria Wien. Petr Voríšek and Jan Rezek have joined Sparta from UEFA Cup contenders FK Teplice but are not eligible to play in Europe, though in-form striker Jirí Štajner, on loan from Hannover 96, is set to start. Štajner could be Sparta's secret weapon: he scored one goal and set up three on his debut in a 4-3 win over FC Baník Ostrava, and headed home a goal against Italy in the 2-2 draw.

Shock result
Sparta have reached the last 16 in the UEFA Champions League three times in the past five years - and even though he is aware of Milan's strength, Poborský still thinks his side can provide the shock of the round. "These types of matches, when we are the underdogs, are good for us," he said. "When we aren't under pressure to get a result, we have always done well. And if we have a piece of good luck along the way, then we can be successful."