Feyenoord vs Sparta Praha facts

Feyenoord coach Brian Priske is reunited with the Sparta Praha side he left in the summer on UEFA Champions League Matchday 6.

Priske's new team staged a remarkable comeback from three goals down to draw 3-3 at Manchester City last time out, making it seven points in this season's league phase.

Sparta took four points from their first two Champions League fixtures this season but have conceded 13 goals in losing the last three, going down 0-6 against Atlético de Madrid in Prague on Matchday 5.

Previous meetings

Matches 4
Feyenoord wins 0
Sparta wins 3
Draws 1
Feyenoord goals 2
Sparta goals 10

2001/02 Champions League first group stage
Sparta 4-0 Feyenoord
Feyenoord 0-2 Sparta
The Czech side were emphatic winners in Prague, first-half strikes from Lukáš Hartig and Vladimír Labant, a penalty after Feyenoord defender Ulrich van Gobbel had been dismissed, added to after the break by Marek Kincl and Rastislav Michalík.

Jiří Jarošík opened the scoring just before half-time in the Rotterdam return and, with the home side losing Pierre van Hooijdonk and Ferry de Haan to red cards in quick succession, Jiří Novotný wrapped up the win late on.

2012/13 Europa League qualifying play-offs
Feyenoord 2-2 Sparta
Sparta 2-0 Feyenoord
Václav Kadlec struck twice for Sparta in the first half-hour in Rotterdam and, though Feyenoord levelled through second-half goals from Miquel Nelom and Anass Achahbar, they had no answer to strikes from Kadlec, a penalty, and Jarošík in the second leg.

Form guide

Feyenoord

Record vs Czech clubs: W2 D4 L4 F13 A20
Home record vs Czech clubs: W1 D2 L2

Feyenoord's last four contests with Czech clubs came against Sparta's city rivals Slavia Praha in the 2021/22 UEFA Europa Conference League, in the group stage (2-1 h, 2-2 a) and quarter-finals (3-3 h, 3-1 a).

That group win was Feyenoord's first against a Czech team at the seventh attempt.

Feyenoord lost their first two matches at home to Czech visitors but are unbeaten in the subsequent three, though that win against Slavia is the sole success.

The Rotterdammers are making their seventh appearance in the Champions League proper, appearing in the competition for successive seasons for the first time since 2002/03. This is only the third time they have featured in the last 22 campaigns.

European champions in 1970, Feyenoord have never reached the Champions League knockout rounds, although they did make the second group stage in 1999/2000.

In 2023/24, Feyenoord were third in Group E behind Atlético de Madrid and Lazio. Arne Slot's side moved across to the Europa League but lasted a single tie, losing to Roma in the knockout round play-offs (1-1 h, 1-1 a aet, 2-4 pens).

This season's defeats by Leverkusen (0-4) and Salzburg (1-3) on Matchdays 1 and 4 respectively made it only three in Feyenoord's last 20 home European fixtures (W14 D3) – although those have come in their last four games (D1).

Champions of the Netherlands for the 16th time in 2022/23, Feyenoord were second behind PSV Eindhoven in 2023/24. The Rotterdam club did lift the Dutch Cup for the 14th time, and the first since 2017/18, before Slot departed for Liverpool.

Sparta Praha

Record vs Dutch clubs: W6 D5 L2 F26 A13
Away record vs Dutch clubs: W2 D2 L2

Sparta's last games against Dutch opponents came in the 2014/15 Europa League qualifying play-offs, when they beat Zwolle 4-2 on aggregate (1-1 a, 3-1 h).

That made it four games unbeaten against Eredivisie clubs (W2 D2) since a 1-0 reverse at PSV Eindhoven in the 2009/10 Europa League group stage – Sparta's only loss in their last seven games against teams from Netherlands.

Sparta won their first two games away to Dutch clubs, both in the Champions League first group stage – at Willem II in 1999/2000 (4-3) and Feyenoord in 2001/02 – but are without a victory in their four visits since (D2 L2), drawing the last two.

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 finished second in their section before eliminating Galatasaray in the knockout round play-offs (2-3 a, 4-1 h) only for Liverpool to prove too strong in the last 16 (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) before 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 Prague club won their first three away European games in 2024/25 – as many as in their previous 27 matches (D3 L21) – and drew 1-1 at Stuttgart on Matchday 2 before a 5-0 loss at Manchester City.

Lars Friis succeeded 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 the club had won successive championships since 2001. Sparta also claimed the Czech Cup last season for a 16th time, completing a sixth domestic double.

Links and trivia

Priske was Sparta coach between 31 May 2022 and 12 June this year, when he was appointed by Feyenoord. He won the Czech title in each of his seasons at Sparta, adding the Czech Cup in 2023/24.

Dávid Hancko was a Sparta player between 2019 and 2023, winning the Czech Cup in 2019/20 and the league title under Priske in 2022/23. The defender scored 20 goals in 100 appearances for the Czech club in all competitions.

Have played in Netherlands:
Peter Vindahl (AZ Alkmaar 2021–22)
Mathias Ross (NEC Nijmegen 2023/24 loan)

International team-mates:
Dávid Hancko & Lukáš Haraslín (Slovakia)

Latest news

Feyenoord

Feyenoord have lost just three of their 21 matches this term (W11 D7) and have scored three goals or more in seven of their last 11, including Saturday's 3-2 success at Waalwijk.

Feyenoord's Matchday 4 defeat at home to Salzburg is one of only three losses in 46 games in all competitions – a sequence that includes 31 victories.

Ibrahim Osman came on in the second half on Saturday having been out since going off with a muscle injury at half-time on Matchday 4.

Justin Bijlow has not played since 2 November due to a muscle injury, although he was on the bench on Saturday.

Jordan Lotomba missed Saturday's win with a leg injury.

Ayase Ueda has been ruled out until 2025 after suffering a hamstring problem against Ajax.

Hugo Bueno (out since 22 November) and Julián Carranza (26 November) have both been sidelined.

Santiago Giménez was out between 22 September and 26 November with a thigh injury, returning as a goalscoring substitute at Manchester City on Matchday 5; he was also on target in the next game, a 1-1 draw at home to Fortuna Sittard on 30 November.

Sparta

Having made a 15-game unbeaten start to 2024/25, Sparta Praha have lost seven of their last 15 in all competitions; Saturday's 1-0 home win against Bohemians Praha 1905 was only their fourth victory in that sequence.

A 4-1 home victory against Karviná on 3 December and Saturday's success have made it three wins in Sparta's last ten league matches (D3 L4).

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

Veljko Birmančević (thigh) and Jaroslav Zelený were both out between 27 October and 3 December.

Lukáš Haraslín was sidelined by a hamstring problem between 23 October and 23 November and has now been out since going in the first half on Matchday 5 with a similar injury.

Angelo Preciado (meniscus) has been out since Matchday 3.