Sparta Praha v Internazionale background

Sparta and Inter are both on the comeback trail already, the two most seasoned European campaigners in Group K having been on the wrong end of chastening defeats on matchday one.

Previous meetings
• The sides are meeting for the first time in UEFA competition.

• Sparta's 24 previous encounters with Italian teams have ended W4 D10 L10 (W3 D7 L2 at home). They are unbeaten in five home games against Serie A clubs (W2 D3) since a 1-0 UEFA Champions League group stage loss to Lazio in November 2000.

• Sparta notably eliminated Lazio in last season's round of 16, following up a 1-1 home draw with a 3-0 success in Rome.

• Inter's sole previous experience of Czech opposition came the best part of 30 years ago, Alessandro Altobelli scoring the only goal in the first leg in Prague as they overcame Dukla Praha 1-0 on aggregate in a 1986/87 UEFA Cup third-round tie.

Form guide
• Sparta are unbeaten at home in Europe this term (W1 D1) but fell 3-0 at Southampton on matchday one – their heaviest defeat in 57 European matches since a reversal by the same scoreline against CSKA Moskva in September 2010.

• Inter's shock 2-0 home loss to Hapoel Beer-Sheva on matchday one means they are on a three-game European losing streak. They have also not won in four UEFA away trips (D3 L1).

• Sparta have made it to the knockout phase in three of their seven UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League group stage campaigns, including three of their last four attempts.

• UEFA Cup winners in 1991, 1994 and 1998, Inter have successfully negotiated both of their previous UEFA Europa League group stage campaigns.

Links and trivia
• The journey from Milan to Prague is around 650km.

• Sparta midfielder Bořek Dočkal celebrates his 28th birthday the day after Inter's visit.

• Inter have played more UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League matches than any other club, 176, and have also won (87) and drawn (43) the most games in the competitions.

• Sparta's Ondřzej Mazuch and Inter's Stevan Jovetić were team-mates at Fiorentina from 2008–09.

The coaches
• Zdeněk Ščasný stepped aside as Sparta coach in the wake of a 2-0 home loss to Slavia in the 25 September Prague derby. His former assistants Stanislav Hejkal, David Holoubek and Zdeněk Svoboda are in temporary command.

• Hired by Inter this summer, Frank de Boer had managed Ajax since 2010, and in 2014 became the first coach to lead the club to four successive Eredivisie titles. The former defender also won the UEFA Cup and UEFA Champions League as an Ajax player.

• De Boer faced Sparta as a player with Barcelona, winning 5-0 at home and 2-1 in Prague in the 1999/2000 UEFA Champions League second group stage.