Sparta host Hapoel Beer-Sheva in the fourth match of the UEFA Europa League in Group K on Thursday night at Letná Stadium in Prague.
Sparta moved to the top of Group K with victory at Hapoel Beer-Sheva on matchday three, and will look to secure that position with another three points in Prague.
Previous meetings
- Sparta became the first visiting side to win at Beer-Sheva's Turner Stadium on 20 October; the 1-0 success marked the teams' first meeting and Beer-Sheva's first encounter with Czech opposition.
- Sparta's only past experience of Israeli clubs came in the 2012/13 UEFA Europa League group stage, where they won 3-1 at home and drew 1-1 away to Hapoel Kiryat Shmona.
Form guide
- Sparta are unbeaten in three European home games this season (W2 D1).
- Matěj Pulkrab's goal for Sparta on matchday three ended a three-match European run without conceding for BeerSheva.
- Sparta have made it to the knockout phase in three of their seven UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League group stage campaigns, including three of their last four attempts.
- The Israeli side are making their UEFA group stage debut this term, having been eliminated by Celtic in the UEFA Champions League play-offs.
Links and trivia
- The journey from Beer Sheva to Prague is around 2,700km.
- Sparta's David Lafata is the club's all-time top scorer in European competition with 22 goals; Beer-Sheva's lead European marksmen have scored two each: Yossi Benayoun and Sergei Gusev along with current players Maor Buzaglo, Ovidiu Hoban and John Ogu.
The coaches
- Zdeněk Ščasný stepped aside as Sparta coach in the wake of a 2-0 home reverse to Slavia in the 25 September Prague derby. His former assistants David Holoubek, Stanislav Hejkal and Zdeněk Svoboda are in temporary
- Beer-Sheva boss Barak Bakhar steered the team to their first Israeli championship in 2015/16, his first term in charge. He previously landed the 2013/14 Israeli Cup at the helm of Kiryat Shmona, where he had spent the bulk of his playing career as a defender.
Hapoel Beer-Sheva FC
- Formed: 1949
- Nickname: The Camels
- UEFA club competition honours - None
- Domestic honours - League title: 3 (last 2016), Israeli Cup: 1 (1997)
Ten-year European record (UEFA Champions League unless indicated otherwise)
- 2015/16: UEFA Europa League second qualifying round
- 2014/15: UEFA Europa League second qualifying round
- 2013/14: did not take part in UEFA competition
- 2012/13: did not take part in UEFA competition
- 2011/12: did not take part in UEFA competition
- 2010/11: did not take part in UEFA competition
- 2009/10: did not take part in UEFA competition
- 2008/09: did not take part in UEFA competition
- 2007/08: did not take part in UEFA competition
- 2006/07: did not take part in UEFA competition
Records - UEFA club competition
- • Biggest home win: 2-0 vs. SK Tirana, 22/08/95, UEFA Cup preliminary round second leg
- • Biggest away win: 0-2 vs. FC Internazionale Milano, 15/09/16, UEFA Europa League group stage
- • Heaviest home defeat: 0-7 vs. FC Barcelona, 12/09/95, UEFA Cup first round first leg
- • Heaviest away defeat: 10-0 vs. Roda JC, 02/10/97, UEFA Cup Winners' Cup first round second leg
