MILAN – With Inter’s Europa League Matchday 2 clash at Sparta Prague drawing ever closer, we’ve teamed up with Opta to bring you the key stats on the fixture.
Thursday night will be the first time Sparta Prague and Inter have faced off in UEFA competitions. The only previous meeting between the two sides was a two-legged tie in the first round of the 1969/70 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. The Nerazzurri won the home leg 3-0, following it up with a 1-0 win in Prague to seal qualification for the second round.
Inter’s only UEFA meeting with a team from Czech Republic came in the 1986/87 edition of the UEFA Cup, when they played Dukla Prague in the third round. The Nerazzurri won the away leg 1-0 courtesy of an Alessandro Altrobelli goal, while a 0-0 draw back at San Siro was enough to see Inter through.
In last year’s edition of the Europa League, Sparta Prague knocked out Lazio in the Round of 16.
The Nerazzurri have played more UEFA Cup/Europa League matches than any other side, with 176. In the UEFA Cup era, they won the competition three times – in 1991, 1994 and 1998. They have qualified from the group stages in both of their appearances in the Europa League.
Inter coach Frank de Boer faced Sparta Prague twice during his playing days at Barcelona. The Dutchman’s side won both matches – 5-0 and 2-1 – in the group stages of the 1999/2000 Champions League.
