Sparta Praha vs Atlético de Madrid facts

Sparta Praha and Atlético de Madrid meet in Czechia on Matchday 5 with each having ground to make up in the UEFA Champions League.

Sparta took four points from their first two fixtures, at home to Salzburg (3-0) and at Stuttgart (1-1), but have since lost 5-0 at Manchester City and 1-2 at home to European debutants Brest.

Atlético have six points thanks to 2-1 wins at home to Leipzig on Matchday 1 and at Paris Saint-Germain last time out, but have also lost 4-0 at Benfica and 1-3 at home to LOSC Lille.

This is the teams' first meeting, and only Atleti's fifth fixture against a Czech club.

Form guide

Sparta

Record vs Spanish clubs: W6 D2 L13 F24 A41
Home record vs Spanish clubs: W5 D0 L6

Sparta were paired with Spanish opponents in last season's UEFA Europa League group stage – their first fixtures against a Liga club since 2016 – losing 2-1 at Real Betis before a 1-0 home win.

That Matchday 5 success in Prague was only the Czech club's second in their last 13 against teams from Spain – a run that includes ten defeats.

Sparta won three of their first four home matches against Spanish visitors (L1) but have managed only two victories in the subsequent seven, losing five – although those wins have come in their last three games.

Sparta featured in the Champions League group stage seven times, one more than all the other Czech clubs combined, although their last appearance came in 2005/06, the seventh time in nine seasons they had made it that far.

The Prague club subsequently lost nine times in qualifying – including in 2023/24, when they were eliminated on penalties by Copenhagen in the third qualifying round (0-0 a, 3-3 h aet, 2-4 pens).

Sparta therefore moved into the Europa League and ultimately reached the round of 16, where Liverpool proved too strong (1-5 h, 1-6 a).

Rudí started this season in the Champions League second qualifying round, defeating Shamrock Rovers (2-0 a, 4-2 h) and then getting the better of FCSB (1-1 h, 3-2 a). Sparta sealed their return to the competition proper after 19 seasons by beating Malmö 2-0 both away and at home in the play-offs.

The Matchday 4 loss to Brest was only Sparta's second defeat in their last 13 home European matches (W7 D4).

Lars Friis succeeded the Feyenoord-bound Brian Priske as Sparta coach in June.

Priske had taken Sparta to their second successive league title, and 38th overall, in 2023/24 – the first time they had won successive championships since 2001. Sparta also claimed the Czech Cup for a 16th time, completing a sixth domestic double.

Atlético de Madrid

Record vs Czech clubs: W2 D0 L2 F5 A5
Away record vs Czech clubs: W1 D0 L1

This is Atlético's first game against a Czech club since the 2012/13 Europa League group stage, when they won 1-0 at home to Viktoria Plzeň but lost away by the same score.

Their only other contests came in the 2004 UEFA Intertoto Cup third round, when they beat Zlín on away goals (4-2 a, 0-2 h) – a tie in which Diego Simeone played all 180 minutes.

Atleti are making their 15th appearance in the Champions League proper and a 12th in succession. They have featured every season since 2013/14.

Runners-up in 2014 and 2016, both against Real Madrid, Simeone's side finished top of their section in 2023/24 and then ousted Inter Milan on penalties in the round of 16 (0-1 a, 2-1 h aet, 3-2 pens) before losing to Borussia Dortmund in the last eight (2-1 h, 2-4 a).

The win in Paris last time out was only Atlético's second in 11 Champions League away games – a run that includes seven defeats.

Atleti have progressed to the knockout rounds in nine of their last 11 campaigns.

The Colchoneros were fourth in La Liga in 2023/24. It was their lowest league finish since 2011/12, when they were fifth.

Links and trivia

Simeone headed Lazio's second goal in a 3-0 home win against Sparta on Matchday 2 of the 2000/01 Champions League.

César Azpilicueta played all 180 minutes as Chelsea beat Sparta 2-1 on aggregate (1-0 a, 1-1 h) in the round of 32 of their victorious 2012/13 Europa League campaign.

Reinildo made two substitute appearances as LOSC Lille won 4-1 away and 2-1 at home against Sparta in the 2020/21 Europa League group stage.

Latest news

Sparta

Sparta have lost four of their last seven league games, winning only one. They were held 1-1 at home by Teplice on Saturday.

A 4-0 victory at home to Brno in the Czech Cup third round on 30 October is Sparta's only win in seven games in all competitions (D2 L4) and one of only two in the last 11 (D3 L6).

A 2-3 home defeat against Sigma Olomouc on 27 September ended Sparta's 19-match run without a league defeat (W15 D4). They also went down 2-1 at city rivals Slavia Praha on 6 October – the first time they had lost successive league matches since May 2022.

Sparta's four league defeats this season is two more than in the whole of 2023/24 and one more than 2022/23.

Lukáš Haraslín returned to score on Saturday having been sidelined by a hamstring problem since Matchday 3.

Elias Cobbaut had to be replaced in the first half on Saturday.

Veljko Birmančević (thigh) has not played since 27 October while Angelo Preciado (meniscus) has been out since Matchday 3.

Atlético de Madrid

Atlético have won their last five games, keeping three clean sheets and conceding only two goals. They came from behind to beat Alavés 2-1 at home on Saturday.

Antoine Griezmann equalised with his first goal for seven games, and his fourth in this season's Liga, before substitute Alexander Sørloth got the winner, his fourth goal in his last five league appearances.

Conor Gallagher scored as England beat the Republic of Ireland 5-0 in the UEFA Nations League on 17 November.

Sørloth got Norway's third in a 5-0 win against Kazakhstan the same day.

Marcos Llorente started on Saturday having been out since going off at Benfica on Matchday 2 with a thigh injury while César Azpilicueta played 90 minutes on his first appearance since 22 September due a calf injury.

Robin Le Normand suffered a serious head injury in a 1-1 draw against Real Madrid on 29 September and has not played since.

Thomas Lemar, who was out between 16 September 2023 and 27 October 2024 with a ruptured Achilles tendon, has not played since 31 October due to a muscle injury.

Nahuel Molina had to leave the Argentina camp during the international break due to hamstring problems and missed Saturday's win.