S
SEARCH
M
SW
Collect News Data

A closer look at England's upcoming opponents the Czech Republic

:Headline: A closer look at England's upcoming opponents the Czech Republic:
Czech Republic sit at the top of Group D ahead of the game.
Sports Mole

England round off Group D against the Czech Republic on Tuesday evening.

Ahead of the Wembley showdown, the PA news agency takes a look at the pool-topping Czechs.

Form

Group D standings (PA graphic)

The Czechs booked their spot at the finals by finishing runners-up to England in their qualifying group. Jaroslav Silhavy's side were beaten 5-0 at Wembley but made amends in Prague, where they ended the Three Lions' 43-match unbeaten run in Euro and World Cup qualifying matches stretching back to a 1-0 loss in Ukraine in October 2009. Harry Kane's early spot-kick had put England in the box seat, only for Jakub Brabec to quickly level and provide the platform for substitute Zdenek Ondrasek to punish a ponderous performance and seal a shock 2-1 win in that October 2019 encounter. Their form after qualifying was patchy, but there was an encouraging draw at home to Belgium – the world's top ranked side – in March's World Cup qualifier. The Czechs were hammered 4-0 by Italy in a warm-up friendly, but Patrik Schick inspired them to a 2-0 win in their Group D opener at Scotland before drawing 1-1 with Croatia at Hampden Park to leave them top of the pool.

Manager

Jaroslav Silhavy reacts after the win over Scotland (Jane Barlow/PA)

Silhavy was given the task of getting the team back on track after their failure to reach the 2018 World Cup. Before being appointed to coach the national team, the former Czechoslovakia defender was twice a winner of the Czech title as a boss with Slovan Liberec and Slavia Prague.

Tactics

Patrik Schick, left, has starred in the opening two games (Andrew Milligan/PA)

Czech Republic head coach Silhavy has created an organised, well-drilled side that can be a problem for anyone on their day. The Czechs' 4-2-3-1 formation, which includes Sevilla's Tomas Vaclik between the sticks, provides a solid base from which to build. Towering West Ham midfielder Tomas Soucek offers physicality and skill in the middle of the park, with Vladimir Darida of Hertha Berlin skippering the side and offering creativity in the number 10 role behind Bayer Leverkusen sharpshooter Schick.

Key players

Slavia Prague's surprise run to this season's Europa League quarter-finals highlights some of the quality at the disposal of a country that boasts the impressive West Ham duo of Soucek and Vladimir Coufal. Burnley's Matej Vydra is an attacking option for a side that can call upon in-form frontman Schick, who has scored three goals in their two Group D matches to date. The Leverkusen striker's stunning effort from just inside the Scotland half at Hampden Park may well prove to be the goal of the tournament.

body check tags ::

amp_article__452230 : Collect and Make Data not in DataBase  : 
last updated article - 2021-06-21 15:48:30:
html db last update - 2021-06-21 15:44:06 :

ex - 7200 : read : write cache and make html
Share this article now:

Subscribe to our Newsletter


Transfer Talk Daily
Match previews - twice weekly
Morning Briefing (7am UTC)
UC
Get the latest transfer news, match previews and news direct to your inbox!
Recommended Next on SM
England's Harry Maguire "ready to go" after shaking off ankle injury
Chelsea 'looking to raise £86m for Haaland bid from sales'
Arsenal 'win Ben White race despite Everton, Man City interest'
Euro 2020 day 23: Ukraine and England prepare for battle in Rome
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1 00000000
2 00000000
3 00000000
4 00000000
5 00000000
6 00000000
7 00000000
8 00000000
9 00000000
10 00000000
11 00000000
12 00000000
13 00000000
14 00000000
15 00000000
16 00000000
17 00000000
18 00000000
19 00000000
20 00000000
Scroll for more - Tap for full version

Subscribe to our Newsletter


Transfer Talk Daily
Match previews - twice weekly
Morning Briefing (7am UTC)
UC
Get the latest transfer news, match previews and news direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

Scottish Premiership Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Aberdeen00000000
2Celtic00000000
3Dundee00000000
4Dundee UnitedDundee Utd00000000
5Hearts00000000
6Hibernian00000000
7Livingston00000000
8Motherwell00000000
9RangersRangers00000000
10Ross County00000000
11St Johnstone00000000
12St Mirren00000000
Scroll for more - Tap for full version
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
X

We value your privacy

A part of our GDPR compliance we need to ask for your consent. We and our partners use technology such as cookies on Sports Mole to personalise content and ads, provide social media features, and analyse our traffic. Click below to consent to the use of this technology on Sports Mole.