England vs Czech Republic Preview: Where to Watch, Live Stream, Kick Off Time & Team News
England kick off their Euro 2020 qualification campaign at Wembley on Friday night when they welcome the Czech Republic to the home of football.
The Three Lions will be looking to get off to a winning start and build some momentum ahead of this summer's Nations League, where they will be looking to win their first trophy since the World Cup triumph of 1966.
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Check out 90min's preview of the clash below.
Where to Watch
When Is Kick Off? | Friday 22 March |
What Time Is Kick Off? | 19:45 (BST) |
Where Is It Played? | Wembley Stadium |
TV Channel/Live Stream? | ITV1 |
Referee? | N/A |
Team News
Gareth Southgate has had a number of players withdraw from his squad through injury. The England boss will be without Luke Shaw, Fabian Delph, John Stones and Ruben Loftus-Cheek for this international break.
There is also uncertainty over the fitness of Jordan Henderson, leaving a spot open in the starting XI for either Declan Rice or Eric Dier. Marcus Rashford also has a knock and is unlikely to be risked, so Jadon Sancho could start.
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Southgate has called up Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse as well as Chelsea's Callum Hudson-Odoi as replacements, with the latter yet to start a Premier League game for the Blues this season and previously set to appear for England's Under-21 side.
The Czech Republic have a much smaller injury list compared to the Three Lions but will be missing goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik.
Predicted Lineups
England | Pickford; Walker, Maguire, Keane, Chilwell; Barkley, Dier, Alli; Sterling, Kane, Sancho. |
Czech Republic | Pavlenka; Kaderabek, Celustka, Kalas, Novak; Soucek; Vydra, Dockal, Pavelka, Jankto; Schick. |
Head to Head Record
There is not much history when it comes to this fixture. England and the Czech Republic have only met twice before.
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The first meeting in 1998 resulted in a 2-0 victory to the Three Lions with the second ending in a 2-2 draw in 2008. Both of these games were friendlies, so Friday's game will be the first competitive fixture between the two.
Recent Form
England qualified in dramatic fashion for this summer's Nations League finals and this positive form will have been strengthened by their impressive showing at last year's World Cup in Russia.
England will have been buoyed by recent wins over Spain and Croatia and will feel confident that they can qualify for next year's European Championship.
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The Czech Republic remained in the second tier of the Nations League following their win over Slovakia, yet Jaroslav Šilhavý will hope his side can find the net with more consistency during their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign.
Here's how each side has fared in their last five matches.
England | Czech Republic |
England 2-1 Croatia (18/11) | Czech Republic 1-0 Slovakia (19/11) |
England 3-0 USA (15/11) | Poland 0-1 Czech Republic (15/11) |
Spain 2-3 England (15/10) | Ukraine 1-0 Czech Republic (16/10) |
Croatia 0-0 England (12/10) | Slovakia 1-2 Czech Republic (13/10) |
England 1-0 Switzerland (11/9) | Russia 5-1 Czech Republic (10/9) |
Prediction
England come into this game on a good run of form, but are missing some important players. However, they have the talent to cover the absences of Stones and Loftus-Cheek and they should have enough to feel confident, especially with the home advantage.
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The Czech Republic boast some talented players in their squad, particularly Roma striker Patrik Schick, who will need to be on top form if his side want to trouble England.
The Three Lions have a wealth of attacking talent, so much so that it should be enough to dispatch the Czech Republic and secure the first three points of this qualifying campaign.
