Sparta hockey players rejoice at the goal.
Vít Šimánek, ČTK
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There is definitely nothing easy for Praguers. Exactly opposite! In the fate, there were much more acceptable and playable opponents, especially the Italian Bolzano or the French Rouen. But instead, it outlined one of the strongest rivals on offer.
Skelleftea is in first place in the current table of Sweden’s highest competition. From the basic group of the Champions League, she advanced from second place behind Tappara Tampere, leaving behind Eisbären Berlin and Lugano.
Now we have the bracket all the way to the #CHLFinal ????#ChampionsGoBeyond pic.twitter.com/8jg9upfl4z
— Champions Hockey League (@championshockey) October 15, 2021
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“Skellefteå has a very good team that leads the league and is productive. We are looking forward to another interesting experience, but I believe we have enough quality to advance,” said Jaroslav Hlinka, assistant coach and sports manager of Sparta.
There was only one restriction on the draw, in which Sparta was one of the eight basic group winners. Teams that had already competed in the basic group were not allowed to run into each other. So when the Swedish Växjö was first pulled to Sparta, another ball with another team had to be pulled. And that was Skelleftea, the three-time champion of Sweden (1978, 2013, 2014).
The Czechs used to work in Skelleftee. Defenders Martin Ševc, Pavel Skrbek, Jan Novák, Libor Procházka, Martin Maškarinec and forward Petr Tenkrát, Petr Hrbek and Daniel Branda played in a city of about 35,000 in the north of Sweden.
Sparta hockey players rejoice at the goal in the Champions League home game against Bremerhaven.
Roman Vondrouš, ČTK
The driving forces of the current Skelleftey team are the experienced 32-year-old captain Oscar Möller and five-year-old forward Joakim Lindström. In the summer, the German striker Tom Kühnhackl, who has two Stanley Cups with Pittsburgh, went to the club.
Sparta’s maximum in the Champions League is participation in the finals five years ago, Skelleftea got the farthest in the 2015/16 season, when she finished in the semifinals.
The round of 16, which is played in two matches and advanced to the team with the better score from both duels, should start Sparta outside and then play revenge at home. The first matches of the quarter-finals are scheduled for November 16 and 17, and revenge a week later.
| Champions League round of 16: |
| Friborg (Switzerland) – Munich (DEU) |
| Rögle (SWE) – Zurich (Switzerland) |
| Lock Rauma (Fin.) – Bolzano (It.) |
| Sparta – Skelleftea (SWE) |
| Tappara Tampere (Finland) – Växjö (Sweden) |
| Frölunda (SWE) – Mannheim (DEU) |
| Salzburg (Rak.) – Rouen (Fra.) |
| Klagenfurt (Rak.) – Leksand (Sweden) |
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