SPARTA PRAGUE, HISTORY AND TRADITION

MILAN - Thirty-three years. No let-up. Inter's next opponents, Sparta Prague, feel at home in Europe. They've been involved in continental competition consistently since 1983/84 and only bowed out of this competition last season in the quarter-finals against Villarreal, beating Lazio along the way. They're regulars at this level, thanks to a footballing culture and tradition that few sides can match in central Europe.

Sparta boast more than 120 years of history, beginning in Prague under the Habsburg Empire with a group of young men led by the Vaclav brothers, Bohumil and Rudolf Rudl. They have also been developing talent since 1893, including Oldrich Nejedly, who led Czecoslovakia to the World Cup final in 1934, and Tomas Rosicky, who retuned to Sparta in 2016 to end his career. The club have an impressive trophy cabinet too. They have won 33 national championships, 14 domestic cups and have enjoyed the odd decent run on the continent, including a Cup Winners' Cup semi-final in 1973 and an excellent campaign in the 1991/92 European Cup.

Sparta compete for the city bragging rights with cross-town rivals Slavia and the fiery derby has been a fixture in the Czech football calendar since 1896. The red and white of Slavia prevailed in the most recent meeting - 2-0 on Sunday - a result which cost Spart boss Zdenek Scasny his job. The club split their time between between the giant Strahov Stadion - built to host large-scale sports events and now reconverted into a training ground used by the first team, reserves and academy - and Generali Arena. The facility, despite the sale of naming rights, is still known to everyone as Letna Stadion and is an iconic ground in Prague football, sat atop the hill of the same name with a view of the city's cathedral. The ground may have changed a bit over the years, but one thing remains the same - the passionate support of their fans. They will be an important asset for the Czechs in the game against Inter, who have only played one competitive game in Prague, against Dukla in 1986, winning 1-0 thanks to a goal from Altobelli.

On Thursday night, the team will be in the hands of coaching trio Hejkal, Holoube and Svoboda. Sparta entered the Europa League following their defeat to Steaua Bucharest in the Champions League third qualifying round and made big changes in the transfer window. Besides talented youngsters Ladislav Krejci and Patrik Schick, who moved to Serie A to join Bologna and Sampdoria respectively, they also sold Nigerian forward Kehinde Fatai and, above all, Jakub Brabec, the captain of the Czech Under-19 side who finished runners-up at the 2011 European championship. To replace them, the club owned by tycoon Daniel Kretinsky has gambled on two players in their early 20s - former Dukla Prague Russian defender Vyacheslav Karavaev and Czech midfielder Daniel Holzer - and three returning heroes: the footballing composer Tomas Rosicky and the two Kadlecs, Michal and Vaclav.

The former, who shares a dressing room with Martin Frydek junior, just as their fathers did at the 1996 European championship, brings leadership and international experience to a defence which also features former Fiorentina man Mazuch. The latter, Vaclav, provides talent up front. The Bohemians 1905 graduate, 24, has real ability but is yet to fully realise his potential. Nonetheless, it's down to him to provide the bullets for strikers Lukas Julis, 22, and David Lafata, a veteran centre forward with more than 200 goals to his name in the Czech top flight.

There are very few foreigners in the squad (besides Russian Karavaev, there's exciting Zimbabwean full-back Costa Nhamoinesu), who under Scasny regularly switched between a 3-5-2, 4-4-2 and 4-5-1 formation. They will look to the drive and late runs of Josef Sural and Borek Dockal, lightning quick with an eye for goal. The locals have another factor in their favour. It's 16 years since an Italian side last won at Generali Arena.

Roberto Brambilla

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