Published 21 June 2021 2 min read
England Men's Senior Team
Czech it out
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Everything you need to know ahead of the Czech Republic game on Tuesday night plus thoughts from a fit-again Harry Maguire
England’s final group stage encounter will be against Czech Republic on Tuesday night and the first time the two nations have ever met in a major tournament.
The Czechs will however represent familiar opposition as Gareth Southgate’s side came through the same qualifying group as them, winning 5-0 at Wembley but losing 2-1 in Prague.
Fans will be hoping for a repeat of the home tie as the Three Lions bid to secure their spot in the knockout stages of the tournament and protect their perfect clean sheet record from the first two games.
Raheem Sterling, who opened his account at major tournaments against Croatia, scored a hat-trick in the 5-0 victory back in 2019 while captain Harry Kane was also on target from the penalty spot in both qualifying games.
And Southgate himself will reach another milestone as he takes charge of his 57th game in charge of England, matching the total number of caps he managed as a player.
The Czechs currently sit on top of Group D having beaten Scotland and drawn against Croatia but victory would see us leapfrog them into top spot while a draw would still be enough to guarantee progression.
And Tuesday night’s opponents have been somewhat of a surprise package at the tournament so far, matching England’s record being unbeaten largely down to the impressive performances of Patrik Schick.
The striker has scored all three of his country’s goals so far, including an incredible 50-yard lob against Scotland, and will post the biggest threat to England’s spotless defensive record.
John Stones and Tyrone Mings have looked assured in their partnership so far but Southgate will also have the option of a fit-again Harry Maguire after he was named on the bench against Scotland, having recovered from injury.
And the Manchester United skipper will be raring to go if called upon: “I’ve been working as hard as I can to get to training and back to fitness so I can do what I enjoy the most and that is playing football.
“I’m feeling good, I’m getting stronger and more confident with the more sessions I do and that’s the thing with these types of injuries. Now I’m available and I’m ready to go.
“We want to win every match, we’re on four points, we’d like to be on six but it’s still a strong position and now we’ve got another big game against the Czechs and one that we are looking forward to.”
21 Jun 2021
Maguire on Czech test
Live training and Harry Maguire previews Czech Republic clash
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