Krasnodar – Sparta

FC Krasnodar and Sparta Prague meet in the second leg of the Europa League round of Last 32 and Sparta Praga will come into this match after claiming a solid 1-0 result in the first leg.

Krasnodar ended 2015 on a high, winning 9 of the last 10 matches played in all competitions. They won an Europa League group that also featured Dortmund and put themselves in a position to challenge for the title in the Russian Premier League. However, it seems that the long Winter break and lack of matches hurt Krasnodar, as the team did not play too well in the first leg against Sparta, fully deserving to lose that match – as they were dominated even more clear than the statistics suggest.

Sparta was excellent in the first leg, defending surprisingly well against a good offensive team, but also creating a lot of chances. Sparta now has 9 wins and 1 draw in the last 10 matches in all competitions, including a 2-0 victory over Mlada Boleslav over the weekend and the team will definitely be confident coming into this match. The visitors also rested some players in the weekend clash, despite the fact that they are involved in a tight battle for the title.

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Team news: No new injuries or suspensions are reported for either team ahead of this match.

Krasnodar has won all 5 home games in Europa League this season, but Sparta Prague is undefeated in the competition. The hosts have the disadvantage of not playing competitive football right now and that was seen in the first leg, but they also have the advantage of playing at home. An analysis of these two fine sides will reveal that they are hard to separate at the moment.

Both these teams have excellent goalscoring statistics this season, but I reckon this will be another low scoring game, similar to what happened in the first leg. 1-0 is always a tricky result for both teams coming into a second leg of a tie, as any goal can turn everything around. With the encounter being so evenly matched, I doubt anybody will take unnecessary risks. Krasnodar’s main objective will be to stay safe at the back and patiently press for a goal over the 90 minutes – they know that if they concede it would be a disaster. Sparta will likely try to get that huge away goal, but not at any cost – and it will be difficult to do it on the road, in the unwelcoming Russian conditions.

Expect a tight match here and I will bet on the goals market – specifically under 2,5 goals to be scored. Prediction: Krasnodar – Sparta Prague 1-0 (Sparta qualifies in extra time).

Pick: under 2,5 goals
Odds: 1.91 @ 1xBet
Stake: 7
Possible profit: 6.37
Event date: 25 February