Sparta Praha vs Brest facts

Sparta Praha will look to regroup after a heavy defeat as they take on Brest, who are still unbeaten in their first-ever European campaign, on UEFA Champions League Matchday 4.

The Czech champions took four points from their first two league phase fixtures, at home to Salzburg (3-0) and away at Stuttgart (1-1), but were overwhelmed at Manchester City in their third, losing 5-0. Brest held German champions Bayer Leverkusen to a 1-1 home draw last time out after wins against Austrian pair Sturm Graz (2-1 h) and Salzburg (4-0 a).

This is the teams' first fixture, and Brest's first game against a club from Czechia.

Form guide

Sparta 

Record vs French teams: W2 D3 L10 F16 A34
Home record vs French teams: W1 D2 L4

Sparta last played French opponents in the 2021/22 UEFA Europa League group stage, losing 3-4 at home and 0-3 away against Lyon.

That made it six successive defeats – with 18 goals conceded – against Ligue 1 teams. A 3-2 win at Toulouse in the 2007/08 UEFA Cup group stage is Sparta's only success in their last 13 games with French clubs (D3 L9).

Sparta won their first home game against French visitors, 2-1 against Marseille in the 1991/92 European Cup second round – a tie they won on away goals after a 4-4 aggregate draw – but their record since is D2 L4.

Sparta featured in the Champions League group stage seven times, one more than all the other Czech clubs combined – although their last appearance came in 2005/06, the seventh time in nine seasons they had made it that far.

The Prague club subsequently lost nine times in qualifying – including in 2023/24, when they were eliminated on penalties by Copenhagen in the third qualifying round (0-0 a, 3-3 h aet, 2-4 pens).

Sparta therefore moved into the Europa League and finished second in their section before eliminating Galatasaray in the knockout round play-offs (2-3 a, 4-1 h) only for Liverpool to prove too strong in the last 16 (1-5 h, 1-6 a).

Rudí started this season in the Champions League second qualifying round, defeating Shamrock Rovers of the Republic of Ireland (2-0 a, 4-2 h) and then getting the better of Romania's FCSB (1-1 h, 3-2 a). Sparta sealed their return to the competition proper after 19 seasons by beating Malmö 2-0 both away and at home in the play-offs.

Last season's loss to Liverpool is Sparta's only defeat in their last 12 home European matches (W7 D4).

Lars Friis succeeded the Feyenoord-bound Brian Priske as Sparta coach in June.

Priske had taken Sparta to their second successive league title, and 38th overall, in 2023/24 – the first time they had won successive championships since 2001. Sparta also claimed the Czech Cup last season for a 16th time, completing a sixth domestic double.

Brest

This is Brest's first season in the Champions League; indeed, they have never before qualified for European competition.

Hugo Magnetti's 23rd-minute opener against Sturm on Matchday 1 was Brest's first European goal, with Abdallah Sima securing a debut win in the 56th minute.

Sima also scored twice in the 4-0 win at Salzburg in Brest's first away European match.

Leipzig, in 2017, are the only previous club to have made their European debut in the Champions League proper, an honour Brest have shared with Girona this season.

Éric Roy's side secured their place in the competition by finishing third in Ligue 1 in 2023/24 – the club's highest-ever final position. Their 61 points was also a club record.

Les Pirates are the 12th French club to play in the Champions League proper, and the first newcomers since Rennes in 2020/21.

Brest are one of five clubs to be making their Champions League debuts in 2024/25, along with Bologna, Aston Villa, Girona and Slovan Bratislava.

Links and trivia

Have played in France:
Veljko Birmančević (Toulouse 2022/23)
Qazim Laçi (Ajaccio 2017–22)

Latest news

Sparta

Sparta have lost four of their last five league games, going down 1-0 at Viktoria Plzeň on 27 October and 1-3 at home to Baník Ostrava on Saturday, a match in which Asger Sørensen gave them an early lead.

A 2-3 home defeat against Sigma Olomouc on 27 September ended Sparta's 19-match run without a league defeat (W15 D4). They also went down 2-1 at city rivals Slavia Praha on 6 October – the first time they had lost successive league matches since May 2022.

Sparta's four league defeats this season is two more than in the whole of 2023/24 and one more than 2022/23.

The Prague club were 4-0 winners at home to Brno in the Czech Cup third round on 30 October.

Indrit Tuci has been out since 19 October while Jaroslav Zelený picked up an injury in Plzeň and was an unused substitute on Saturday.

Lukáš Haraslín (hamstring) and Angelo Preciado (knock) have been out since Matchday 3.

Brest

Brest's five-game unbeaten run in all competitions (W3 D2) was ended by a 0-1 home Ligue 1 loss to Nice on Saturday.

On 26 October Brest won 2-1 at Reims, their first away league victory of the season.

Brest's record in Ligue 1 this season is W4 D1 L5.

Brest have four clean sheets in their last 11 games in all competitions.

Julien Le Cardinal started on Saturday having not played since 22 September.

Abdallah Sima has not played since Matchday 3 due to a muscle injury.

Bradley Locko suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in August.