Sparta Prague will be hosting Copenhagen at Stadion Letna on Tuesday for the second leg of their Champions League third-round qualifying match. After earning a respectable 0-0 draw in the Danish capital, Sparta Prague is in a strong position to break their recent third-round curse and potentially advance to a playoff tie against Aris Limassol or Rakow Czestochowa.

Last season, Sparta Prague ended a nine-year drought by winning the Czech top-flight crown. Their journey to secure a place in the Champions League proper began last week, where they were underestimated before their match at Parken Stadium. Despite only managing three shots on target, Sparta Prague held their ground and left with a hard-fought draw, which undoubtedly pleased their manager Brian Priske.

Priske's satisfaction grew even more when Sparta Prague faced Jablonec over the weekend. They secured a commanding 5-1 victory away from home, displaying exceptional individual performances from players like Martin Vitik, who scored twice from the back, Qazim Laci, who provided three assists, and Kaan Kairinen, who scored a goal and assisted two more. This impressive win sets Sparta Prague up nicely for the second leg as they strive to avoid a fifth consecutive elimination in the third round of Champions League qualifying and aim for their first group-stage appearance since 2005-06.

Copenhagen, after scoring eight goals against Briedablik in the second qualifying round, was unable to break through Sparta Prague's solid defense. Their perfect start to the season domestically and continentally came to an abrupt end. However, they did manage to secure a Danish Superliga victory over OB, maintaining their position at the top of the standings. The win was hard-fought, with Jacob Neestrup's side coming from behind to win 2-1 thanks to goals from substitute Lukas Lerager and Elias Achouri.

As they head to Prague, Copenhagen's recent away record is impressive, having won their last six competitive away matches in all competitions. They have scored at least two goals in all but one of those matches. In the past 15 years of European Cup qualifying, Copenhagen has only been eliminated in the third round once, and that was after drawing the first leg against Red Star in the 2019-20 edition. Their previous encounter with Sparta Prague in the 2009-10 Europa League group stage resulted in a comprehensive 3-0 victory for Copenhagen.