"Sparta Prague" - the strongest club in the Czech Republic

"Sparta Praha" is one of the strongest clubs in the Czech Republic with a very long and rich history. This club is the champion for victories in the national championship, but to date there are quite strong clubs in the country that can compete with Sparta. At the same time, "Sparta Prague" continues to impose a serious fight in the European arena and last season went very far in the European League.

Successes in the championship of Czechoslovakia

"Sparta Prague" is a club that was founded in the distant 1893. Naturally, then football was not developed and did not even exist as a full-fledged sport, and "Sparta" was a sports club that combined various directions. In the mid-twenties of the twentieth century, the Czechoslovak football championship was held for the first time, in which Sparta took second place, losing to another capital club, Slavia. At the same time, hostility arose between these two teams.

Up until 1948, rivalry in the championship was mainly conducted between "Sparta" and "Slavia", only occasionally other clubs managed to take the first or second place in the tournament. During this time, "Sparta Prague" nine times became the champion of Czechoslovakia, after which the club came down. In subsequent years, he was able to win only two championship titles - in 1965 and 1967, and in 1975 the whole era was over.

At that time in Czechoslovakia, all clubs, except for "Sparta", were already in the second division. And it was in that year that "Sparta" could not resist and lowered the league lower, but pretty soon returned to the highest level. Already in 1983 she won the third place in the championship, and since 1984 she won eight of ten tournaments, including the last one, held in 1993. In total, the club won 21 championships in Czechoslovakia.

Successes in the championship of Czechia

When Czechoslovakia broke up, Sparta retained the dominant status in the new tournament - the Czech championship. Of the 23 tournaments that have been held over the years, the club won twelve. And his dominance was the maximum during the first ten years of the existence of the tournament - over these years, Sparta won eight championships.

Later, the club's position weakened, although almost always, when he did not win the championship of the Czech Republic, he was in second place. For all the time of the existence of this tournament, "Sparta" only twice was not in the top three - in 1996 and 2006. The last time the club won the tournament in 2014 - after that, for two years in the Czech Republic became the "Victoria".

Successes in the Cup of the country

As for the Cup of the Czech Republic, here at "Sparta" such successes, as in the championship, are not observed. This tournament is held since 1960, that is, from the moment when the club was already not in the best condition. The first victory happened in 1964, when the club was called "Spartak Sokolovo". As the "Sparta" the first victory was won only in 1972. As a result, if we are talking about the Cup of Czechoslovakia, then this club has eight victories - the same as the Prague "Dukla". If we talk about the Cup of the Czech Republic, here "Sparta" is the sole leader in the number of trophies - they have six. The last time the club won this tournament in 2014.

Successes in the European arena

Last year in Russia, many talked about a big match for the national football "Krasnodar" - "Sparta Prague". The matter is that such pair was in 1/16 endings of last year's League of Europe. In the European arena, "Sparta" for its history could not win anything - twice the team managed to reach the semifinals of the prestigious tournament, which is now called the Champions League, but twice, "Sparta" lost.

In recent years, the club in general could not show anything outside of his country, but the 2015/2016 season was a breakthrough - in the group stage of the Europa League "Sparta" scored 12 points, leaving the group together with the German "Schalke", and in the 1/16 finals There was a confrontation between Sparta Prague and Krasnodar. The forecasts were disappointing, but the Czech club won two confident victories.

In the 1/8 finals the club was waiting for an even more serious test. Few people believed that from the confrontation of "Sparta Prague" - "Lazio" the Czechs will be the winners, and in the first match in the Czech Republic suspicions were confirmed, the clubs played a 1: 1 draw. However, in the second leg in Italy, "Sparta" made a sensation, defeating the hosts 3-0. But in 1/4 finals the club, unfortunately, lost to the Spanish "Villarreal".