Sparta Prague vs. AC Milan Betting Preview – Europa League, December 10, 2020

Sparta Prague hosts AC Milan at the Generali Arena on Thursday, December 10, with the visiting side sitting four points clear of the home team in Group H.

The Italians have already secured their spot in the knockout stages, while Sparta’s exit from the competition was confirmed last week. But can the Czech outfit prevent Milan from clinching the top spot in the group?

If you’re interested in wagering on Thursday’s Europa League matchup, make sure you check out my Sparta Prague vs. AC Milan prediction and betting pick below.

Sparta Prague (4.90) will simply be playing for pride on Matchday 6, so the top online betting sites have labeled the home team as the obvious outsider here.

With the top spot in Group H up for grabs, AC Milan (1.57) is expected to come out on top in Prague, although the high price for the draw (4.35) is likely to attract plenty of betting interest.

Sparta’s 2020/21 Europa League campaign started in disastrous fashion, with back-to-back defeats coming on the opening two matchdays. However, the Reds quickly turned things around, securing two impressive 4-1 victories over Scottish side Celtic.

Vaclav Kotal’s men appeared to be heading for three straight wins on Matchday 5. Despite being reduced to ten men, Ladislav Krejci gave Sparta a shock lead in Lille. But a late brace from Burak Yilmaz saw the home team snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

Unfortunately, last week’s loss ended the Reds’ hopes of qualifying for the Round of 32. But it’s fair to say that they have given a good account of themselves on the European stage this season.

Sparta comes into Matchday 6 on the back of a damaging 3-0 defeat to cross-city rivals Slavia Prague. Not only have Kotal’s men lost three of their previous four domestic matches but they also now find themselves five points off the pace in the Czech title race.

Can @acmilan win the Serie A⁉️ ? pic.twitter.com/nZyhNwnoB7

— 433 (@433) December 6, 2020

On the flip side, AC Milan is firmly in control of their domestic title race. The Rossoneri sealed a 2-1 victory over Sampdoria on Sunday, maintaining their five-point lead at the top of Serie A in the process.

Milan remains unbeaten in Italy’s top-flight this term, picking up eight wins and two draws from their opening ten games. Better still, the team has only conceded nine Serie A goals in 2020/21, with young goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma keeping four clean sheets.

Stefano Pioli’s men have not been overly consistent in the Europa League this season, yet they have still managed to qualify for the next round with one game to spare. A record of three wins, one draw, and one defeat is nothing special, but Milan is still among the favorites to win the tournament.

The Italians found themselves 2-0 down against Celtic last week, although they fought back to win the game 4-2. Even with injured talisman Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Milan is a huge threat in attack.

Don’t get me wrong, the Reds have seriously upped their game since losing their first two Europa League matches. But I can’t see Sparta causing Milan too many problems on Thursday.

Pioli is likely to field a strong team to give his side the best possible chance of finishing at the top of Group H, so I’m backing the Rossoneri to come away from Prague with all three points.