The reaction of Sparta Prague players when finding out they're facing Liverpool

The Czech Republic team will be the opponents in the round of 16 of the UEFA Europa League.

23/02/2024, 02:42 PM +00:00

Liverpool have several simultaneous objectives this season. They know that it will be the last with Jürgen Klopp as coach and they want the farewell to be perfect. That is why they will try to win the four tournaments in which they are participating: the Carabao Cup, the Premier League, the FA Cup and the UEFA Europa League. The first of these challenges will be this Sunday, when they face Chelsea at Wembley Stadium in the final of the Carabao Cup.

But undoubtedly one of the most demanding will be the European tournament. There they are in the round of 16 after an initial phase in which they were leaders of Group E, where they faced Toulouse FC, Royale Union Saint-Gilloise and LASK, thanks to four wins and two defeats. That allowed them to skip the round of 32, in which the second-placed teams in each group faced the third-placed teams in the Champions League. Once those clashes were over, the round of 16 games were drawn this Friday.

The Reds were lucky, as they avoided the toughest opponents they could have faced, such as Benfica, AC Milan and AS Roma, and will face Sparta Prague. The Czech Republic team had finished second in Group C, which was won by Rangers, while in the last stage they beat Galatasaray 6-4 on aggregate.

Undoubtedly Liverpool celebrated the draw result, considering that their next opponents will be one of the weakest in the tournament. But, unexpectedly, Sparta Prague had a similar reaction. Minutes after the round of 16 matches were known, images were shared on social media of the Czech players in the locker room, celebrating and hugging each other for the joy of knowing that they will face one of the best teams in Europe.

This is what the fans had to say

Upon learning of these images, many users on social media showed their surprise at Sparta Prague's reaction. One wrote: "Do they not read history?". Another added: "Union did same and they were humbled in the group stages". And a third said: "This is the first time I see a team celebrating their loss before the game".