Lazio will travel to face Sparta Prague on Thursday in a Europa League tie they will expect to win, but to write off the Czech side would be to ignore the weight of a long and storied European history.
One of two sides from the capital to make an indelible mark in the football world, Sparta are undoubtedly the most successful. Their 33 league titles over both the Czechoslovak and Czech eras dwarfs any other club’s tally and the victories they have celebrated in continental competition over the years have been impressive and varied.
Such has been their standard that success in domestic football has become almost routine. Of the 22 Czech First Leagues contested to date, Sparta have been in the top two in 20 seasons – winning 12. There have been Czech Cups and Supercups during that time, too.
However, the standard of Czech football is such that even being such a dominant domestic force brings with it no guarantee of carrying that success into Europe. It is notable that the more well-known players in the Sparta squad are those who have returned to their homeland from stalled careers elsewhere.
Niether Marek Stech nor Radoslaw Kovac made the grade at West Ham United. Marek Matejovsky was only a qualified success at Reading.
Lazio will need to show them respect – one does not reach this stage of the Europa League without some level of quality – but if any of the Sparta players could make it in a bigger European league, they would almost certainly be doing so.
It was not always that way.
In the early days of international club competition, Sparta won a number of Mitropa Cup crowns. The first came after defeating an impressive Rapid Wien side in 1927, before conquering Juventus in a 1935 semi-final, and the Bologna of Fulvio Bernardini en route to the 1964 title.
While never the best team in Europe, being the best in one of the central European leagues used to mean more than it does now.
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Sparta’s European adventures did not end there. There have been more recent highlights, too. A victory over Marseille guided Sparta to the first group stage of the European Cup in 1992. Acting as a semi-final, they finished second to Barcelona beating the eventual champions at the Letna Stadium.
The Letna Stadium has been key to their ambitions, with the Spanish giants just one of many feted victims to fail in the 19,000 capacity venue. In 1985, on their way to the European Cup, Juventus lost there to a Jan Berger penalty. Already 3-0 up from the first leg, the defeat was not terminal.
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Italian sides have often found the short trip to Prague difficult. Milan, Napoli and Palermo have all emerged from the Letna Stadium without victory. Although small, it remains one of the true cauldrons of European football and while Lazio’s supporters may well have experience of the trip – it will be their third visit since 2000 – although none of the 2003-04 team who lost 1-0 remain with the Biancocelesti.
That year, in the Cup Winners Cup, after knocking out Airdrieonians of Scotland and Germany’s Werder Bremen, they came up against Parma. The Ducali secured a draw in Prague before enjoying a comfortable 2-0 win at the Stadio Ennio Tardini.
The 2004 Champions League Last 16 tie with Milan went a similar way. Away from home first, the Rossoneri earned a 0-0 at the Letna Stadium before putting the Czech side to the sword at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, running out easy 4-1 winners.
Perhaps that is the template for Stefano Pioli’s side to follow. Having been unable to fire on all cylinders in Serie A, they do not take great form into the first leg. A draw in Prague would give them a one-off home game against a side whose away record in European knockout games is not good.
When Lazio visit Sparta, it will be the Czech side’s 262nd European fixture. All the Biancocelesti need to do is ensure that the 263rd is their last until next season.
Source: forzaitalianfootball.com