Sparta vs. Hapoel

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