England will be eyeing a third straight win when they host Czechia in matchday four of the UEFA Nations League.
Czechia will look to bring an end to their three-match losing streak when they hit the road to square up against Thomas Tuchel’s England, who have got back on track after suffering a defeat on matchday 1.
The home team are second on the points table with six points in their three matches. They are three points behind Spain, who have maintained a perfect record so far. While the Three Lions started their campaign with a 3-2 defeat to Spain, they have bounced back in some fashion.
They recorded a 2-0 win over Czechia before smashing Croatia 7-0 away from home. Tuchel’s team will certainly be confident in building on these results and finishing the international break on a high.
Meanwhile, Czechia are bottom of their group without a point to their name after three games. They started the campaign with a 2-1 defeat to Croatia, before losing 2-0 to England and 3-1 to Spain. While they did put up a fight against Croatia, they were nowhere in the picture against the two giants.
Czechia will have to produce a much-inspired performance if they are to avenge the 2-0 defeat they suffered in the reverse fixture. They do have the quality to hit England on the break, but stopping their star-studded attack that put seven past Croatia will be a very difficult task. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
England
Thomas Tuchel’s team didn’t suffer any fresh injuries against Croatia, and he doesn’t have suspensions to deal with either. But he is still likely to shuffle the pack for this game.
England are expected to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Jordan Pickford starting between the sticks. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Lewis Hall should feature as the full-backs, while Jarrad Branthwaite is likely to partner Trevoh Chalobah in the heart of the defence.
In midfield, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Elliot Anderson should form the double pivot. The duo will look to protect the backline while also helping England control possession and dictate the tempo of the game.
Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze are expected to occupy the wide areas, while Morgan Rogers could start ahead of Jude Bellingham in this game. The trio will look to link up with star striker Harry Kane, who should continue to lead the line.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Pickford; Alexander-Arnold, Branthwaite, Chalobah, Hall; Lewis-Skelly, Anderson; Saka, Rogers, Eze; Kane
Czechia
Ladislav Krejci is suspended for this fixture following a red card against Spain, but they do have a boost as Pavel Sulc is back after serving a suspension of his own. Meanwhile, Vladimir Coufal remains a doubt with a knee problem after sitting out the Spain game.
Czechia are expected to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Antonin Kinsky starting between the sticks. Michal Sacek and Jiri Slama are expected to be the full-backs, while Stepan Chaloupek is likely to pair up with Martin Vitik in the heart of the defence.
In midfield, Alex Kral and Michal Sadilek should form the double pivot. The duo will look to ensure England midfielders do not dominate the ball too deep in their half.
Matej Radosta and Ondrej Lingr are expected to occupy the wide areas, providing width and supporting the attack, while Pavel Sulc could take up the number ten role behind Adam Hlozek, who will lead the line against England.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kinsky; Sacek, Chaloupek, Vitik, Slama; Kral, Sadilek; Radosta, Sulc, Lingr; Hlozek
Key Stats
- Czechia have lost all three of their Nations League games, and overall they have lost five of their last six games.
- England have won each of their last three games, but they do have two defeats in their last five outings.
- The Three Lions’ 7-0 win over Croatia was their biggest win against a top-50 team since 1992.
- Czechia have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last ten games.
- In the last four meetings between the two teams, England have won three, while Czechia did come out on top once back in October 2019.
Player to Watch
Harry Kane
Kane is set to make his 125th appearance for England, which will see him equal Peter Shilton’s all-time record for England caps. He already has 89 goals for the Three Lions and will be eager to mark the occasion with a goal or two.
Kane has seven goal contributions in as many outings for Bayern this season and has bagged four goals during the ongoing international break. The former Tottenham skipper has been in sensational form, and it won’t be a surprise if he ends up adding to his tally against Czechia.
Prediction
England 4-0 Czechia
England will have the advantage of playing at home and should head into this fixture full of confidence after their emphatic 7-0 win over Croatia. Tuchel’s side have scored nine goals across their last two games and have looked much more convincing after their opening-day defeat to Spain.
Czechia have lost all three of their games so far and will need a significant improvement if they are to get anything out of this fixture. They have enough pace and quality to cause problems on the counter, but their defensive record makes it difficult to see them keeping England quiet.
The Three Lions should dominate possession and create enough opportunities to secure another comfortable victory. The Hard Tackle predicts a 4-0 win for the home team.