Simon Dalton presents his prediction bets on the 2024 Champions League match.
Shamrock Rovers are the underdogs in the upcoming match with Sparta Prague, despite their win in the last Champions League qualifying round. The Czech champions had a good pre-season and beat Pardubice 2-1 in their opening game of the season.
Shamrock is far behind the leader Shelbourne in the Irish Premier Division, trailing by 13 points. Last Friday, Rovers lost 1-0 to Bohemians in the Cup, as they had used most of their energy beating Vikingur (2-1 over two games) in the first round of Champions League qualifying. Even at home, Shamrock was less effective in attack (7-13 on shots and 40-60 possession), and against a more skilled opponent, advancing to the next stage will be very difficult.
Sparta has made some changes to the line-up with the new Danish coach Lars Friis. Their best defender, Krejci, was sold to Girona for 8 million euros, but they have signed new players: Albeniz, Krasniqi, Vindahl, and Birmancevic, who will take part in UEFA Euro Cups. Before beating Pardubice, Sparta scored 10 goals in four friendly matches.
Sparta's skilled attack will make the difference in Ireland. Shamrock has no chance in the Champions League quarter-final qualifiers, especially since Sparta is worth almost 18 times more (72 million vs 3.9 million).
