Ararat-Armenia vs Sparta Prague: Can Ararat-Armenia pull off a sensational upset?
In the second leg of the UEFA Europa Conference League third qualifying round, Ararat-Armenia will host Sparta Prague on their home turf. The clash is set for Thursday, August 14, at 18:00 CET. Here’s our match preview and prediction.
Ararat-Armenia vs Sparta Prague: Match preview
In the first meeting, Ararat-Armenia struck first, but the Czech side responded emphatically—netting twice before halftime and adding two more after the break. They never let their opponents back into the contest, cruising to a commanding 4-1 victory.
Ararat-Armenia began their summer qualifying campaign in the second round of the Conference League, edging Universitatea Cluj 2-1 thanks to a dramatic 117th-minute winner. In the opening round of the league, they drew with Van and currently have one point to their name.
Sparta Prague, meanwhile, have already played four matches in the Czech league, picking up ten points to sit among the top three. Their Conference League journey also began in the second round, where they dropped the first leg 1-2 to Aktobe but stormed back with a 4-0 rout in the return fixture. The Czechs are now firmly poised to advance to the playoff round.
Match facts and head-to-head history
- In the first leg, Sparta Prague thrashed Ararat-Armenia 4-1.
- Sparta Prague are riding a five-game winning streak.
- Sparta Prague have scored at least one goal in each of their last 15 matches.
- This will be just the second ever head-to-head meeting between these sides.
Probable line-ups
- Ararat-Armenia: Pinto, Grigoryan, Julio, Joao Queiroz, Malis, Hovhannisyan, Muradyan, Balanta, Joao Marcos, Shagoyan, Gbomadu
- Sparta Prague: Vindahl, Kadeřábek, Vidra, Kobaut, Sørensen, Ariersim, Kayrien, Rineš, Haraslín, Birmančević, Kuchta
Prediction
Ararat-Armenia have the home advantage, but Sparta Prague boast a stronger squad and superior individual quality. I expect the Czechs to claim another victory, so my pick is for Sparta Prague to win at odds of 1.66.
