HC Sparta Prague will face Swedish side Växjö Lakers in the quarter-finals of the Champions Hockey League (CHL). The home game in Europe’s top ice hockey competition is set for Tuesday, 3 December, at the O2 Arena in Prague. The second leg will take place on Tuesday, 17 December, in Sweden.
Växjö Lakers have historically been a favored opponent for Sparta in the CHL. The two teams have met six times in this competition, with Sparta claiming victory in five of those encounters. The Swedes have managed just one win.
The last meeting between the two teams was three years ago during the CHL group stage. Sparta suffered a 2-1 defeat in Sweden but bounced back with a 2-1 overtime win in Prague.
The teams have only faced each other once before in the CHL play-offs, during the semi-finals in January 2017. Sparta triumphed with a 2-1 victory in Sweden, followed by a commanding 4-0 win in a sold-out O2 Arena. This performance earned Sparta a place in the CHL final. However, in the championship game, they narrowly lost to Frölunda Göteborg in overtime (4-3) — the closest CHL final in the competition’s history.
In the round of 16 this season, HC Sparta Prague secured their spot in the quarter-finals by defeating Třinec in an all-Czech clash, with a decisive aggregate score of 5-2.
Tickets for the upcoming game in Prague are available on the official HC Sparta Prague website.