Sparta in the Champions League Preliminaries: several years of misery, when was the last time they were in the group?

Sparta and the Champions League preliminary rounds have been one big embarrassment since 2005. However, already on Wednesday night the Leten players have a chance to break at least the first part of the curse and get through Rapid Vienna to the third preliminary round.

Season 2005/06

The last season when Spartans could enjoy the millionaire competition. After results of 1::1 and 1::2 with Ajax, 0::1 and 0::0 with Thun and 0::2 and 0::3 with Arsenal, Sparta finished last in the group and bid farewell to the Champions League for several years to come.

2007/08

After a season-long break, Sparta returned to the Champions League, but faced a tough opponent in the third round. They lost 0:2 and 0:3 to London Arsenal.

2008/09

In the second preliminary round, the team from Leten managed to beat Sheriff Tiraspol (2: 0, 1: 0), but in the third round they were unable to beat Panathinaikos after 1: 2 and 0: 1.

2009/10

The third consecutive attempt was not successful either. This time Sparta had the chance to fight back, in the third round they faced Panathinaikos from Greece again. But after winning 3::1 and losing 0::3, they had to say goodbye to the competition again.

2010/11

In the second preliminary round Sparta easily eliminated Liepajas Metalurgs (3::0, 2::0), in the third preliminary round they also defeated Lech Poznan (1::0, 1::0). In the 4th round, however, Sparta was not able to beat MŠK Žilina, and after the results 0::2 and 0::1, Sparta remained in front of the competition gates.

2014/15

Sparta returned to the Champions League preliminary rounds after a three-year hiatus, and in the second round, thanks to five goals from David Lafata, they knocked out Levadia Tallinn (7: 0, 1: 1). In the third preliminary round, the summer team defeated Malmö 4:2 at home to qualify for the play-offs. However, in the return leg, the Swedes won 2:0 and advanced thanks to more goals on the opponent’s field.

2015/16

Quickly forgetting about last year’s loss was the clear goal of Letná’s team. But it didn’t happen at all. In the third preliminary round, they faced CSKA Moscow and brought a promising 2-2 result from Russia. Moreover, they were already leading 2:0 at home in the 16th minute and there was no indication that Sparta would be relegated.

However, Musa scored two goals in the 34th and 51st minute, and Dzagoev made the difference in the 76th minute and all hope was lost.

2016/17

A year later, Sparta had another chance to sneak into the Champions League play-offs, with Steaua Bucharest awaiting them in the third round. After a 1-1 draw at home, the team went to Romania, but lost 2-0 and said goodbye to the Champions League for 5 years.

2021/22

Back to the millionaire competition, Sparta were beaten by Rapid Vienna in the second round. Many fans saw the Austrians as the best opponent, hence the clear progression. However, Pavel Vrba’s charges did not hold the lead in the first leg and lost 1: 2. Can Sparta finally break the curse this year and reach the Champions League group stage?

Source: Livesport