Turkish side Galatasaray are looking to make up for a group stage exit in the Champions League with a deep Europa League run as they take on Sparta Praha on Thursday night.
Reigning Süper Lig champions Galatasaray came into the season with big hopes in Europe after securing their place in the Champions League knockout rounds and following two big summers if investment into the squad the time felt ripe for them to kick on towards the next gear in Europe.
However, despite claiming an impressive 3-2 win at Old Trafford the Turkish side were unable to secure a top-two finish and were disappointingly pipped to the post by Danish outfit FC København.
They now must turn their focus to what could be a very fruitful Europa League campaign if they fulfil their potential in the competition.
They're entering this game in typically good shape, top of the league table having gone unbeaten in their last twelve games, winning their last eight on the bounce.
Their form in Europe is much more concerning though, with the Turkish side having failed to win any of their last four games of this year's Champions League group stage, registering one draw and three losses.
It's a very strong field in this season's Europa League but it seems pretty commonplace in this competition for a number of the favourites to be knocked out before the semi-final stage, so despite not being amongst the top, top contenders Galatasaray will feel capable of reaching the latter stages of this season's competition.
Sparta Praha reached the playoff round of the Europa League knockout stages by finishing 2nd in this year's Group C, a group containing Rangers, Real Betis and Aris Limassol.
The Czech side will have been more than happy with their effort after being drawn into a tricky group and will now look to spring a surprise against the Turkish champions as they look to secure their place in the knockout stages proper.
Sparta are having a really strong season in the Czech First League as they find themselves top of the league table, but there could be some concern over their preparedness heading into this game given their season only very recently resumed following their winter break, with only one competitive game having been played since mid-December.
That game took place at the weekend, and the reigning Czech champions showed few signs of rust as they sailed to a 3-0 win over Karviná away from home.
Whether or not they'll be affected by their lack of competitive game time remains to be seen, but this is a draw the Czechs will feel quietly confident of coming through.
For our Galatasaray vs. Sparta Praha prediction, we're going for a 2-1 win for the home side.
Don’t forget to check out the rest of our previews, tips and offers for this weekend’s action.
