Prediction: Both Teams To Score and England To Win
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England could seal their qualification for the 2020 European Championships as they face the Czech Republic in Prague on Friday evening.
The Three Lions will book their spot at next summer s competition with a victory at the Sinobo Stadium, whilst a loss to the hosts could potentially open the group up with just a couple of matches remaining.
Czech Republic
With the top two teams in each qualifying group bagging an automatic place at the competition, Jaroslav Šilhavý s troops now have a wonderful chance to reach their sixth consecutive Euros championships. The team are currently sitting second in Group A following nine points out of five matches. They earned a crucial victory last time out as they swept aside Montenegro 3-0 away from home. An aspect that they will hope to harness against the table-topping Three Lions is their form on home soil. Since 2017, the team have only lost three matches at home and they came against strong opposition in the form of Germany, Ukraine and Brazil.
Whilst this match will not determine either way whether the Czech Republic will secure a place at Euro 2020, a victory in this particular fixture could put down a real marker and give them a huge boost in their task for qualification.
Team News
The only injury worry that Šilhavý has ahead of the match is with defender Pavel Kaderabek who has been struggling with illness. Meanwhile, Patrik Schick will be one to watch out for after scoring four goals in five qualifying matches so far.
England
Gareth Southgate s troops will be gunning for the victory that could seal their qualification for the fifth major tournament in a row and their recent form in qualifying suggests that they could do just that. The Three Lions have won each of their opening four games this time around and in all have not lost a qualifying match for a major tournament since a 1-0 reverse at the hands of Ukraine back in 2009. They produced an absolute thriller last time out as they met Kosovo at St Marys. Racing into a 5-1 lead before half-time, they were soon made to sweat as they conceded two quickfire goals to notch a 5-3 victory. It was only the second time that a Three Lions side had shipped three goals in a match under current boss Southgate.
Team News
There have already been a few players having withdrawn from the England squad for their upcoming games during the international break. Fabian Delph and Tom Heaton have both had to step down with Dean Henderson replacing the latter. Leicester man James Maddison was the latest to pull out, this time due to illness. Tottenham Hotspur man Dele Alli has once again been left out. Elsewhere, Fikayo Tomori could make his international debut after impressing in the Premier League this season.
Key Facts To Consider
Czech Republic have never beaten England (W0, D1, L2)
The Three Lions won the last clash 5-0 between the two at Wembley Stadium
England will qualify for UEFA Euro 2020 with victory in Prague
This is the first match that the two have played in the Czech Republic
The Czech Republic currently sit 44th in the FIFA World Rankings, whilst England are much higher in fourth
Conclusion
The gap in quality between these two teams should pay off in Prague. England have a far better squad and it should be a comfortable victory that will see the Three Lions qualify for the tournament. However, Southgate s men have not been as robust and defensively sound in recent matches so the hosts could be good value to get on the scoresheet.
Prediction: Both Teams To Score and England To Win
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