England Under-21s commence their bid for Under-21 Euro 2023 glory on Thursday evening, as Czech Republic Under-21s await at the Adjarabet Arena in Batumi in Group C.

The Young Lions are out to end a 39-year dry spell in the continental championships, while their Czech counterparts have one honour to their name from the 2002 tournament.

Match preview

The Czech Republic and England will be renewing hostilities in Batumi after engaging in a two-horse race for top spot in qualifying Group G, where the Young Lions ultimately pipped Jan Suchoparek's men to the post and forced them to go down the playoff route.

The challenge of Iceland awaited the Czech Republic in a two-legged affair to determine who would punch their ticket to Romania and Georgia, and despite falling a goal down early on in the first leg, Suchoparek's side turned the tie around through Matej Valenta and Vaclav Sejk in a 2-1 triumph.

A goalless draw in South Bohemia four days later was therefore enough to propel the Czech Republic into the finals for the fourth time in the last five editions, but their most recent three appearances at the Under-21 Euros have ended in the group stage since a fourth-placed finish in 2011.

Champions in 2002 and runners-up in 2000, the new millennium certainly brought new opportunities for the Little Lions, but an underwhelming set of friendly results does little to suggest that they can end their recent group-stage hoodoo.

Indeed, Suchoparek's men failed to win any of their four exhibition matches with Portugal, Belgium, Norway or the Netherlands - scoring just two goals in the process - but England's preparations for Euro 2023 have hardly gone swimmingly either.

Fending off the threat of the Czechs as well as Slovenia, Kosovo, Albania and whipping boys Andorra, England gleaned 25 points from 30 on offer in qualifying to sail through to the Euros finals, scoring 26 goals while conceding just seven along the way.

After Aidy Boothroyd failed to guide England into the knockout stages in 2021 - the fifth time in the last six editions that the Young Lions have been prematurely sent home - Lee Carsley is now the man tasked with restoring the juniors to their former glories at Under-21 level.

England remarkably got as far as the semi-finals in each of the first six editions of the Under-21 Euros - lifting the trophy aloft in 1982 and 1984 - but they have only made the last four on three occasions since, collecting the consolation prize of a runners-up medal in 2009.

Victories over Italy, Germany and France in their first three friendlies since qualification certainly caught the eye, but Carsley's men will enter the Euros on the back of successive defeats to Croatia and Japan, and the Germans will also be out for revenge as one of their other two opponents in Group C alongside Israel.

However, England marched to a pair of 3-1 and 2-1 wins over the Czech Republic during qualifying, and the Little Lions have only roared to victory once against the Young Lions - sinking Stuart Pearce's crop with a 2-1 win during the 2011 Euros.