© Reuters
Head-to-head record
Previous meetings: 4
Liverpool wins: 3
Draws: 1
Sparta Prague wins: 0
Reuniting in the last 16 of the 2023-24 Europa League, Sparta Prague maybe wish that they had not turned up to either match, as a 5-1 home thrashing in the opening tie preceded a nightmare 6-1 beatdown at Anfield, as Jurgen Klopp's side posted a record-breaking 11-2 aggregate success.
Indeed, the Reds' mighty tally of 11 goals matched the most ever scored in a two-legged Europa League knockout match, and the Merseyside giants incredibly struck four of their goals inside the opening 14 minutes, the quickest a side has ever taken a 4-0 lead in the competition.
One of those goals arrived from the boot of Mohamed Salah, who hit 20 goals for the 2023-24 campaign in all competitions with that contribution, becoming the first Liverpool player in history to achieve that tally in seven straight seasons.
Even with Premier League commitments to take into account, Klopp went strong for the first leg, where Alexis Mac Allister's penalty gave Liverpool an early lead before Darwin Nunez notched a brace for himself in the time that remained in the first half.
The scoreline did not tell the whole story, though, as Brian Priske's side wasted numerous chances and were also nullified by some heroic defensive work from Klopp's troops, until Conor Bradley turned into his own net within seconds of the second half starting.
However, Luis Diaz and Dominik Szoboszlai's strikes ensured that Liverpool - who also had a Salah goal disallowed for a contentious offside - would travel home with a healthy first-leg lead, as Sparta were left to rue the three big chances they missed on home soil before being decimated at Anfield.
Prior to the 2023-24 edition, Liverpool and Sparta's only previous two-legged tie came in the 2010-11 last 32, where the Czech outfit dug in for a goalless draw on home soil before succumbing to a 1-0 Anfield defeat seven days later.
A Reds side led by Sir Kenny Dalglish prevailed thanks to a late Dirk Kuyt header on that occasion, and that 1-0 success bore a strikingly similar resemblance to the first time that they played host to an opponent from the Czech Republic, as Emile Heskey was the 87th-minute hero in a 1-0 beating of Slovan Liberec in 2000-01.
Previous meetings
Mar 14, 2024: Liverpool 6-1 Sparta Prague (Europa League Round of 16)
Mar 07, 2024: Sparta Prague 1-5 Liverpool (Europa League Round of 16)
Feb 24, 2011: Liverpool 1-0 Sparta Prague (Europa League Round of 32)
Feb 17, 2011: Sparta Prague 0-0 Liverpool (Europa League Round of 32)
Ben Knapton
