Czech Republic vs England
The Euro 2020 qualifiers action will continue in Prague where the host country is looking to end England’s rampant form as of late.
The Three Lions are the only undefeated team in Group A as they won against the likes of Kosovo, Montenegro, Bulgaria, and even Czech Republic the first time around. They currently lead the group with 12 points.
The Czechs, on the other hand, are not far behind with nine points after five fixtures. They’ve managed to beat Montenegro twice recently and momentum is on their side. This is important especially after being demoralised by England in their first go-around.
One more win for England can help them seal their spot in the Euro 2020 tournament next summer. However, the Czechs are expected to bring their A-game on this one.
Can the home team steal one against the European juggernauts? Or will the Three Lions pass this big test against a hostile crowd in Prague and move on?
SBOBET offers you a quick preview on the game ahead on Friday.
Talking Points
Three Lions’ big roar
What a great time to be an England supporter as they’ve steamrolled the competition and are primed to be one of the top contenders for next year’s tournament.
National team manager Gareth Southgate has guided the Three Lions to an exciting adventure to which we witnessed the superb and inspiring play of Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling. The attacking duo has produced some of the best Euro 2020 highlights by pouring in 12 out of their whopping 19 total goals. They are no slouch either on defence as they’ve only conceded four goals in their last four matches.
The team has a great mix of veterans and youngsters when looking at it as a whole. They have the likes of Jadon Sancho, Raheem Sterling, Declan Rice, and Marcus Rashford who are below 25 years old, plus they have key veterans in Harry Kane, Michael Keane, Harry Maguire, Kieran Trippier, and Danny Rose who are well within their prime.
For this match against Czech Republic, Southgate is expected to bring in Chelsea’s Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori for their international debuts to further reinforce their lineup. The said duo has been playing well for the Frank Lampard-mentored team — especially Abraham – who currently leads the Premier League with goals scored at eight this season.
With a roster loaded with attacking talent, it’s expected that they’ll score in bunches every game. And other powerhouse countries will have to look out for this squad as they continue their quest to get their first UEFA European Championship.
Czech Republic’s last stand
Jaroslav Silhavy and his men will have the perfect chance to exact their revenge against England in their upcoming home game on Saturday, but doing so will be much easier said than done.
They will face a vaunted England squad that is loaded on all fronts. However, if their last match against Kosovo provides any indication, it’s that the English defence can be breached.
The Three Lions were sloppy to start in that game as they gifted Kosovo’s Valon Berisha a goal inside the first minute. It took them a while to take the lead, but it just goes to show how they were complacent in the first place.
The Czechs would really pray for that same thing to happen for them to increase their Euro 2020 odds of scoring an upset for sure.
Silhavy will continue to rely on the same starting XI that gave the team wins over Montenegro in the previous international break with that same 1-3-2-4-1 formation. They are to be led once again by star striker Vladimir Darida who is their most capped player and he will be backstopped by standouts Patrik Schick and Tomas Soucek upfront for their offence.
Speaking of Darida, he has been playing extremely well for Hertha BSC in the ongoing Bundesliga season. He has created more chances (12) and assists (3), putting him in company of some the league’s elite.
The Czechs would surely put up a gallant stand against their tormentors at their home pitch. Either way, they are still in a good place at second in the Group A table.
History
Since Czechoslovakia became the Czech Republic, they and England have faced each other three times prior to this match with the latter winning two out of those three fixtures.
Prior to their dominant 5-0 victory against the Czechs, Darren Anderton and Paul Merson led the Three Lions in their first win against them back in 1998 in a friendly.
10 years later, they finished with a 2-2 draw in what was Glenn Hoddle’s final match in charge of the national team.
Betting Tip
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Czech Republic vs England | England Asian Handicap -1.00 @1.70 |
| October 12, 02:45 (GMT+8) |
In the 1×2 market, England are at 1.45 odds for a win while Czech Republic are at 6.60 along with 4.20 odds for a draw.
The Three Lions are the heavy favourites in this match given their loaded roster and they just need to ward off complacency in order to get the victory.
I’m clearly expecting a high-scoring affair for this one, which is why a safe bet is a 3-1 win in favour of the road team.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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|---|---|---|---|
| = €20 (Highly confident) |
 = €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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