Sparta Prague manager Brian Priske has cautioned Rangers that his team is well-prepared for their upcoming double-header, despite their recent loss to Real Betis. Rangers are scheduled to travel to the Czech Republic later this month for the first of their two consecutive matches against Sparta. This follows their surprising 2-1 defeat to Aris Limassol, a lesser-known team in Europa League Group C. Thursday night’s results have left all four teams tied with three points each and an identical goal difference of zero. Sparta currently leads the group based on their head-to-head record against Aris. Real Betis recovered from their earlier loss in Glasgow by defeating Sparta 2-1 in Seville.
However, Danish manager Priske believes his team can take great encouragement from the defeat, as he feels they outperformed the La Liga side. He remarked, ‘In many aspects, we delivered an excellent performance. If we continue to perform at this level in the remaining four games, we can secure qualification.’ Priske praised how his team imposed their playing style on Betis, particularly dominating the first half. He acknowledged that Betis made a comeback, as expected, given they were playing at home.
However, Sparta continued to control possession and forced Betis to exert considerable effort, which the opposition did not appreciate. Priske added, ‘Both offensively and defensively, we executed our game plan as intended for a significant portion of the match. We are disappointed to leave with no points.’ He noted that the atmosphere in the stadium ultimately favored Betis and highlighted the Spanish team’s considerable individual quality and decision-making skills at crucial moments. Nevertheless, Priske believes his players deserved more than a 2-1 defeat and is now looking ahead to the two upcoming matches against Rangers, seeing it as an opportunity for Sparta to assert themselves in the group.