Champions League
2021-08-03 - Sparta Prague vs Monaco
A Sports Betting Pick by ArmchairPunter
Football : Champions League : Qualifiers
Venue : Generali Arena
Tuesday 3rd August 2021, 1800hrs
The 1st legs of the 3rd qualifying round of the Champions League will be played this week and Tuesday night features an intriguing clash between Czech Republic side, Sparta Prague, and French outfit, Monaco, as the two teams meet at the Generali Arena seeking an edge in this two-legged affair.
Despite losing 2-1 away from home in the 1st leg of their 2nd qualifying round tie at Austrian side, Rapid Vienna, Sparta Prague stormed back in the return leg on home soil by recording what proved to be a decisive 2-0 win to achieve victory by a 3-2 aggregate overall.
Having also registered early wins on the domestic front in the Czech Republic Czech Liga with victories picked up against Sigma Olomouc and Slovan Liberec, Sparta Prague will be feeling quietly confident about their chances in this upcoming clash against Monaco.
However, it’s been five years since Sparta Prague last appeared in the Champions League and recent results suggest that this upcoming 1st leg tie will be no picnic as the hosts have managed to win just one of their last seven ties overall in this competition.
Onto Monaco, and the visitors will play their first competitive match of this season when they make their way to Prague for this 1st leg of this 3rd qualifying round tie with Sparta Prague, but they too will be confident about their chances here.
Monaco suffered just the one defeat in their final 10 matches of last season’s French Ligue 1 campaign which came in the form of a 3-2 loss at home to Lyon but seven wins within this sequence should give Monaco plenty of confidence here.
The visitors have also lost just one of their five pre-season games whilst picking up wins against Salzburg, Cercle Brugge and Wolfsburg, but they too have struggled in previous matches in the Champions League.
Monaco last appeared on the Champions League stage back in 2018 and the visitors have failed to win any of their last 14 ties in this competition, but plenty of water has passed under the proverbial bridge since those times and despite a few significant departures, the likes of forwards, Ben Yedder and Volland (who scored a total of 36 goals between them in last season’s Ligue 1 campaign), the French side look a decent prospect here.
The Betting Verdict
Sparta Prague did well to fight back against Rapid Vienna but they’ll be up against a quality Monaco side here who look a decent bet with the handicap here.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Sparta Prague 1-2 Monaco
