LFC UPDATE : Liverpool to face Sparta Prague in Europa League last 16 Date and kick-off time TV Channel 👇

LFC UPDATE : Liverpool to face Sparta Prague in Europa League last 16 Date and kick-off time TV Channel 👇

Sparta bow out as Kuyt rescues Liverpool

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Liverpool FC 1-0 AC Sparta Praha (agg: 1-0)

Dirk Kuyt got his head to a Raul Meireles corner four minutes from time at Anfield as the injury-hit Reds staggered into the round of 16.

Dirk Kuyt celebrates scoring Liverpool’s late winner against Sparta

Dirk Kuyt headed in with four minutes to go to send Liverpool FC through to the UEFA Europa League round of 16, with AC Sparta Praha failing to cause their hosts enough problems at Anfield.

Kuyt craned his neck to nod in Raul Meireles’s corner as Liverpool finally found some penetration after 176 minutes without a goal in this tie, averting the unwanted prospect of extra time in the process.

With Steven Gerrard injured, the Reds hardly exploded into Kenny Dalglish’s first European home game as the club’s manager. Moments after lifting a shot over the bar, Sparta’s Václav Kadlec got his head to Libor Sionko’s cross following a slick move down the right. Pepe Reina’s save was comfortable enough, but Liverpool looked distracted.

Chances came their way regardless. Jaromír Blažek scrambled Sotiris Kyrgiakos’s downward header around his right-hand post, and Meireles speared over from Martin Kelly’s cross as Liverpool broke quickly following a Sparta corner which Reina came for and missed. Later Blažek blocked a David Ngog shot, before warding Joe Cole off the loose ball.

Ngog received further indication that this was not his night after the break; he had the ball taken off his toes as he powered into the area and then miscued badly when Kuyt’s pull-back from the left found him in space. Meireles clipped a cheeky ball through for the French striker with 15 minutes to go, but this time Blažek denied him, racing off his line to force the ball out of play.

The goalkeeper then smothered a Kuyt shot as thoughts turned to extra time, but the Dutchman did better when a Meireles corner found him in the shadow of Blažek’s goal. Further missed chances from Ngog and Cole mattered not, and SC Braga await in the round of 16.

Liverpool are to meet Sparta Prague in the Europa League last 16 after the draw took place on Friday morning, following the final matches of the play-off round.

Jurgen Klopp‘s side earned their place in the last 16 having finished top of their group by a single point, leaving Toulouse, Union SG and LASK to occupy the spots below them.

Having bypassed the round of 32 by finishing the group stage as a seeded team, the Reds ended up with eight possible opponents for this stage of the competition.

And the draw has pitted them against Sparta Prague, with the two teams to battle for a place in the quarter-final next month.

It means Liverpool will travel to Czech Republic, setting up a clash with the team who currently sit at the top of the Czech First League.

This will be the second time the two sides have faced on another in the Europa League, with their last tie in 2011 seeing the Reds emerge as 1-0 victors, on aggregate, in the round of 32 under Kenny Dalglish

When will the last-16 ties be played?

First leg (away): March 7

Second leg (home): March 14

With Liverpool having qualified as the seeded team, they will play the second leg at Anfield.

The first leg arrives after a trip to Nottingham Forest (March 3), with the huge home game against Man City taking place between the two legs (March 10).

Thankfully, the Czech Republic is not a long journey for the Reds to make, which is crucial at this point of the season

Full last 16 draw

Qarabag vs. Bayer Leverkusen

AC Milan vs. Slavia Prague

Freiburg vs. West Ham

Benfica vs. Rangers

Marseille vs. Villarreal

Roma vs. Brighton

Sparta Prague vs. LIVERPOOL

Sporting vs. Atalanta

Full Europa League schedule

Last 16: March 7 and 14

Quarter finals: April 11 and 18

Semi finals: May 2 and 9

Final: May 22

Last time vs. Sparta Prague

Take a look at that team! We’ve come a long way since 2011.

The lineup the last time Liverpool played against Sparta Prague, in 2011: Reina, Kelly, Kyrgiakos, Agger, Wilson, Meireles, Poulsen, Lucas, Cole, Kuyt, Ngog.