Manchester City – Sparta in the Champions League: Match prediction

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Don’t get confused. After eight rounds of the English top flight, although Liverpool FC leads the table with 21 points, the defending champion Manchester City lags behind him by a single point. So far he has not lost in the league. The fight is open, City have a real chance to add another shiny bead to the hall of fame.

From the Czech point of view, the team is unstoppable.

If Sparta received a 1-6 beating from Liverpool at the famous Anfield Road in April this year in the round of 16 of the Europa League, how will it fare at the Etihad Stadium 56 kilometers away?

Concerns about another hard impact on the Red Chronicle are considerable.

Above all, the club is rich. Unreal, even immoral. And its value is constantly increasing. However, this was not the case. The club from the city of 2.8 million inhabitants in the northwestern part of the country stood for years not only in the shadow of local rivals United, but was not prominent in the entire British kingdom.

Everything changed with the influx of Arab capital in 2008. The shares of Manchester City Football Club Limited are wholly owned by City Football Group. The group is owned by three organizations, 81 percent of which are majority owned by Abu Dhabi United Group, 18 percent by American private equity Silver Lake and one jointly by Chinese companies China Media Capital and CITIC Group.

Abu Dhabi United Group is owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family and vice president of the United Arab Emirates. “The club has unlimited financial possibilities,” says Czech football expert Jan Říčka. He knows the conditions of the English club well, having worked for them for years as a talent scout across Europe.

But other English clubs also have long money and mobile owners. “Definitely Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham or Arsenal. They also have unlimited possibilities,” declares Říčka.

Nevertheless, Manchester City has ruled over everyone with an almost despotic hand lately. It’s not just about the money, although it forms a necessary foundation for building a world-class team.

Arab capital joined the club as early as 2008, but it took years for Citizens, as its nickname sounds, to climb to the top. Despite huge investments, they won the English throne only in 2012, and the European throne even in 2023.

The real sporting boom and accumulation of trophies came with the arrival of the Spanish magician Pepe Guardiola in 2016. The very next year, the team won the Premier League and only in the 2019/2020 season (Liverpool) did he leave it to another competitor.

Manchester City’s reign is oppressive. “The cooperation between Guardiola and Txiki Begiristain works very well,” reveals the secret of Říček, adding another famous Spaniard who is in charge of the sports department. And he knows Guardiola very well from playing together at FC Barcelona. “They understand each other, they have the same thinking about football, they complement each other,” Říčka characterizes their mutual connection.

It remains to be seen how Guardiola will fare without his compatriot as Begiristain has announced his departure from City at the end of the season.

The Czech discoverer of rare talents knows the Basque fighter Begiristain very well, having worked under him for many years in recruiting young reinforcements. “Also, the academy works very well, and it can train players even for the A team, which Phil Foden is proof of,” Říčka points to his own hatchery.

However, the transfer policy is crucial, the club hunts all over the world. “He managed to find and bring real treasures,” claims the native of Sušice in West Bohemia.

A classic case was the Norwegian killer Erling Haaland, who strengthened Manchester City two years ago when he transferred from Borussia Dortmund. “He had already outgrown the German Bundesliga, he had to go higher,” says Říčka about his transfer to England.

In the contract, he had a clause for a transfer fee of 60 million pounds, which translates to about 1.680 billion crowns. For the Czech taxpayer, the sum is dizzying, even heart-breaking, but not for rich European football clubs. “However, it was also lucky that a battle did not break out over Haaland,” points out Říčka. “The rich clubs that were able to buy him out already had the center forward position filled,” he adds.

Champions League winner Real Madrid pampered French musketeer Karim Benzema and wanted to lure compatriot Kylian Mbappé to him. However, Paris Saint-Germain kept him in an attacking trident with Neymar and Messi.

Barcelona wanted the Polish duke Robert Lewandowski, the hole for him in Bayern Munich was filled by the previously agreed Senegalese raider Sadio Mané, who came from Liverpool.

Rival Manchester United relied on Cristiano Ronaldo, for Liverpool the Uruguayan representative Gabriel Núñez was the summer transfer number one, in Chelsea they believed that the Belgian giant Romelu Lukaku would find a new life, the Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus moved from Manchester City to Arsenal and actually made Haaland’s place.

However, the question arose as to how the Norwegian youngster will fit into the lineup. “Manchester City did not believe in a system with a classic spike, the goals were spread among several players,” explains Říčka of the situation at the time. And suddenly one wolf in particular was supposed to take care of the ending. “However, the players have adapted and are providing a great service to the new face,” points out the Czech expert.

And Haaland’s surroundings are truly exceptional. Belgian playmaker Kevin De Bryune, fit Croatian stopper Joško Gvardiol, Argentine world champion Julián Álvarez, Portuguese running technicians Bernardo Silva, Matheus Nunes and Rubén Dias, English striker Kyle Walker.

The only question remains is how the best player of this year’s Euros, the leader of the Spanish European champion, midfielder Rodri, will be missing, who is after knee surgery. “It’s weakening,” admits Říčka.

In the match against Sparta, it will probably not show much, other warriors will be hungry for its scalp. She will not have a pleasant time at the Etihad Stadium, she will face a huge quality.

Even if the classic hot cauldron is not waiting for her. “It’s not as noisy as in other English stadiums, the walkways don’t go up so steeply,” recalls Pavel Horváth, a former Sparta Prague midfielder who got to know Manchester City’s stadium in the Champions League group stage in November 2013 in Viktoria Plzeň’s jersey (defeat of the Czech team 2: 4). “But it’s an experience,” he doesn’t deny.

The stadium was originally built as an athletics stadium in 2002 when the city of Manchester tried – unsuccessfully – to be awarded the Olympic Games. A year later, it was rebuilt into a football stadium. “It’s not even hard to tell that he was originally athletic,” reflects Říčka.

And the fans can get fired up, kick the team. “In April, when the title was being played for and every point was decisive, Aston Villa was already leading 2:0,” recalls Říčka. “Within five minutes, the situation was reversed, the fans chased their darlings fantastically,” he presents a personal experience.

A look at the distribution of forces suggests that Sparta has no chance against the world giant on its red-hot ground. “It will be very difficult,” agrees Horváth.

But in football, anything can happen, nothing is lost in advance. “But a lot of favorable circumstances would have to come together,” the owner of five Czech championship titles (three with Pilsen, two with Sparta) is looking for a chance to get out of the crushing grip.

Eleven years ago, Plzeň did not embarrass themselves, they managed to equalize twice, they achieved an acceptable result. “Already back then, big stars played for the club, but not as dazzling as now,” Horváth points to names such as Sergio Agüero, Samir Nasri or Bosnian striker Edin Džeko, who also played in the Czech league.

Sparta will encounter world quality.