Prediction: Czech Republic vs England

Prediction: England win

Best Odds: 8/15

Bookmaker: 888sport

We’ve arrived at the final set of group stage fixtures and things are starting to move pretty fast now. We already know the identity of quite a few Round of 16 teams but in Group D, the actual order in which they’re going to head through remains a mystery. As Scotland and Croatia battle it out for the right to even feature in the next round at all, Czech Republic and England have the small matter of deciding who will finish top of the group to settle at Wembley.

Czech Republic

Behind the brilliance of Patrik Schick, the Czech Republic have been one of the surprise packages of Euro 2020 up to this point. Between beating Scotland and getting a point against Croatia they seem to have rediscovered the confidence that consistently made them a dark horse back in the noughties. Whether or not the can go deep into the tournament remains to be seen but even managing to qualify from this group will be a triumph in itself.

Team News

Provod is out through injury with one of the only other big questions being who will start alongside Soucek – Holes or Kral. Up top, of course, Schick will lead the way as he continues to hunt down the Golden Boot.

England

Gareth Southgate’s men came into Euro 2020 as one of the favourites but based on what we’ve seen over the course of the last few games, we’d be very surprised if that title manages to stick as we look ahead to the knockout stage. There are so many lethal attacking players within this squad’s ranks and yet, despite all of that, there doesn’t appear to be a consistent creative flair or cohesion – which makes us feel like we’re repeating history all over again.

Team News

Dean Henderson is officially out of the squad but the big news is that Chilwell and Mount are both self-isolating after coming into contact with Billy Gilmour who tested positive for COVID-19. Elsewhere, the overwhelming expectation is that Grealish will receive his first start of the summer.

Factors to Consider

• Czech Republic are in 1st place and England and in 2nd, both with four points.
• A draw would see both go through to the next round.
• A loss for either could open up the door for Croatia or Scotland to leapfrog them.
• Czech Republic have scored three goals and conceded one in the Euros.
• England have scored one goal and conceded zero in the Euros.

Conclusion

While pessimism may regularly reign supreme on the British Isles we’re choosing to believe England can get the job done in this one – but it almost certainly isn’t going to be pretty. We think the Three Lions are going to struggle with the defensive structure of the Czechs who, by all accounts, will want to make a statement by winning the group. We’re backing England to narrowly edge out a win here with a 1-0 result that, let’s face it, isn’t going to make many headlines.W

Prediction: England win

Best Odds: 8/15

Bookmaker: 888sport