Liverpool record against Czech teams: Reds near-perfect

Liverpool are set to travel to the Czech capital on Thursday to take on Sparta Prague in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League round of 16 tie.

The fixture won't be an easy one to navigate, as Jurgen Klopp looks to keep his key players fit and fresh for a huge match with Man City on Sunday, as exiting Anfield with a cathartic quadruple remains a possibility.

Below, we take a look at whether Liverpool's record against Czech teams will give them some extra confidence before kick-off.

Liverpool record against Czech teams

Despite their rich European history, Liverpool have only ever played four matches against Czech opposition. Their first encounter came in the second round of the 2000/01 UEFA Cup against FC Slovan Liberec, en-route to lifting the cup as part of a famous treble.

Meanwhile, the Reds' most recent encounter came against Sparta Prague in the 2010/11 Europa League round of 32.

• Liverpool Wins: 3
• Draws: 1
• Liverpool losses: 0

Liverpool have a near-perfect record against Czech teams with the only blemish on the record being a 0-0 draw with Sparta Prague away from home in 2011. Given the team Klopp will be forced to line up with on Thursday, an identical result to that would likely be welcomed by the Reds.

Liverpool record against Czech teams: Three wins and a draw

Liverpool 1-0 Sparta Prague – 24th February 2011

Liverpool's most recent match against a Czech side came in February 2011. Liverpool were being managed by Kenny Dalglish after the sacking of Roy Hodgson and had their eyes set on Europa League glory. They failed to produce anything spectacular in this round of 32 second leg, but they did enough to get over the line thanks to a late goal from Dirk Kuyt. Liverpool's European run didn't last much longer as they lost to Braga in the next round.

Sparta Prague 0-0 Liverpool – 17th February 2011

In the first leg of the 2010/11 Europa League of 32, Liverpool travelled to Prague determined not to lose the match. Dalglish's aim was to simply take Sparta Prague back to Anfield with the game in the balance and he got exactly what he wanted thanks to a dogged, yet uninspiring performance. Pepe Reina was called into action on a few occasions and would have been pleased with his clean sheet.

FC Slovan Liberec 2-3 Liverpool – 9th November 2000

Liverpool's most exciting match against a Czech side came in November 2000, when they faced FC Slovan Liberec in the second round of the 2000/01 UEFA Cup. The match was in the balance after Liverpool only managed to win 1-0 at Anfield and the Czech side levelled the aggregate score early on in the second leg to set up a classic. Nick Barmby put Liverpool back ahead before half time before Heskey and Owen ensured safe passage through to the third round late on.

Liverpool 1-0 FC Slovan Liberec – 26th October 2000

Two weeks previously, Liverpool would have been hoping for a bigger home victory when they were drawn to play FC Slovan Liberec in the UEFA Cup second round but had to settle for a 1-0 victory which left the tie up in the air heading to the Czech Republic. Liverpool's goal on the night came from Emile Heskey in the 87th minute and it turned out to be a big one in the season, with the Reds ultimately going all the way.

Key trend

Liverpool have enjoyed some memorable nights against Czech sides over the years but they have only managed to score more than one goal on one occasion. Given they are likely to play a second-string team on Thursday night, it wouldn't be a huge surprise if this trend continues. Liverpool to score under 1.5 goals is priced at 19/20 (1.95).

For more tips, check out our in-depth Sparta Prague vs Liverpool prediction.