In their first Champions Hockey League campaign, Rögle Ängelholm have made it to the Quarter-Finals and have every reason to believe they can go further. Sparta Prague, on the other hand, are competing for the fourth time and have come this far once previously – when they went to the CHL Final in 2016/17.

The teams will meet first in the Czech capital on 7 December and reconvene on Sweden’s southwest coast a week later. Although the First Game in Prague will be their first CHL game in the Czech Republic, Rögle visited both EV Zug and Red Bull Munich in the Group Stage, so another trip to Central Europe shouldn’t be a shock to their system.

It will be interesting to see what happens in the Return Game in Ängelholm, where both teams will have reason to be confident in their chances. Rögle have won all four home games so far in regulation time, outscoring their opponents 20-10. Meanwhile, Sparta have won three of four road contests so far this season, including a 3-1 win against fellow SHL side Skellefteå AIK in the Round of 16.

This will likely come down to Rögle’s offence versus Sparta’s defence. Rögle rank fifth in the CHL with 30 goals scored and have by far the best power play in the competition at 50.0 percent. Meanwhile, Sparta have surrendered only 13 goals in eight games for a CHL-best 1.63 goals-against average.