Liverpool are expected to book their ticket to the last eight of the UEFA Europa League on Thursday when they play the second leg of their tie against Sparta Praha. The Reds registered a commanding win last week by beating Sparta 5-1 in Prague. Outgoing manager Jurgen Klopp relied on a combination of youth and experience to get the job done then but may change things up for the home leg during an important stretch of their season.
Here's what you need to know before tuning in.
How to watch and odds
- Date: Thursday, March 14 | Time: 4 p.m. ET
- Location: Anfield -- Liverpool, England
- Live stream: Paramount+
- Odds: Liverpool -350; Draw +490; Sparta Praha +700
Storylines
Liverpool's high-profile players took center stage last week when Darwin Nunez scored a brace and the likes of Luis Diaz, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai also got on the scoresheet. With a four-goal lead, though, Klopp might ask some of the youngsters who stepped in for the Carabao Cup final to lead the way on Thursday, especially as they compete for the Premier League title.
Jayden Danns is the most buzzed about of the prospects, especially after he scored a brace in a recent FA Cup tie against Southampton, and might play against Sparta. Though Klopp is expected to rotate, that might not rule out an appearance from Mohamed Salah as he aims to regain fitness in time to keep Liverpool competitive as they duke it out for the domestic title with Manchester City and Arsenal.
Prediction
Liverpool might take their foot off the gas a little bit thanks to their big lead in this tie, but even a rotated group should be able to pick up a solid win. Expect them to do so and clinch a quarterfinal berth with relative ease. Pick: Liverpool 2, Sparta Praha 0
