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The Czech Republic was something of a surprise at the last Euro, reaching the quarterfinals before falling to Denmark.
Their memorable campaign included a group stage victory over Scotland at Hampden Park, which featured Patrik Schick’s goal of the tournament.
A draw against Croatia and a narrow defeat against England showed that the Czech Republic are not a team to underestimate, as demonstrated by their 2-0 victory over the Netherlands in the round of 16.
The Czech team has undergone a major overhaul since then, with just seven players, including captain Tomas Soucek and his West Ham teammate Vladimir Coufal, this time around.
There have been changes on the bench: Jaroslav Silhavy has been replaced by Ivan Hasek since the qualifying phase.
Here you’ll find everything you need to know about the Czech Republic in Group E, including how they qualified for the tournament, their history in the competition and who to watch out for.
Jaroslav Silhavy (left) led Czechia to Euro 2024, but resigned after sealing qualification
The Czech Republic will compete in its eighth consecutive European Championship this summer
Who is the manager?
Hasek was named Czech Republic coach in January, after Silhavy resigned two months earlier citing “anger and aggression” from fans over the team’s results.
Silhavy said his decision was confirmed when he was forced to send home Coufal, Jakub Brabec and Jan Kuchta from his team after the trio were photographed in a nightclub before their match against Moldova.
His replacement, Hasek, has returned for a second spell in charge of the national team after five games in charge in 2009.
The 60-year-old has managed all over the world, and his 25-year managerial career has taken him through Europe, Asia and Africa.
Hasek, who captained Czechoslovakia at the 1990 World Cup, includes stints in charge of Gabon and Lebanon on his coaching resume.
His fifth game as coach will be Czechia’s first group game against Portugal, and the Czech Football Federation set him the goal of getting the team out of the group stage.
Ivan Hasek will guide the Czech Republic to the tournament after being appointed coach in January
Who is your star man?
Best known for his midfield goal against Scotland at Euro 2020, Schick looks set to lead the line again.
Schick was one of the stars of the tournament: the striker scored five of his six goals.
He missed out on Cristiano Ronaldo’s golden boot, as the Portuguese legend equaled his goal tally but also recorded an assist.
The Bayer Leverkusen striker, who has scored 18 goals in 37 games for his country. In Germany he will be counted on again to score goals.
Schick should go into the tournament on a high having been part of Leverkusen’s impressive season, contributing 13 goals in 33 games in their double-winning campaign.
Patrik Schick scored five of Czechia’s six goals at Euro 2020 and will be reliable again
How did they rate?
Czechia finished second in their qualifying group behind Albania, with both teams having a record of four wins, three draws and one loss.
An impressive 3-1 home win over Poland got the campaign off to a good start, before a disappointing goalless draw against Moldova three days later.
The Faroe Islands were comfortably eliminated in their next match, but a 1-1 draw at home to Albania was followed by a 3-0 defeat to the same opposition.
A Tomas Soucek penalty allowed Czechia to claim a 1-0 win over the Faroe Islands at home and the captain scored a crucial equalizer to draw against Poland in Warsaw.
Czechia sealed their qualification for an eighth consecutive European Championship by beating Moldova 3-0 at home in their final match.
Captain Tomas Soucek scored a vital equalizer to earn a crucial draw against Poland.
June 18 – Portugal-Czechia (Leipzig, 8:00 p.m.)
June 22nd – Georgia-Czechia (Hamburg, 2:00 p.m.)
June 26th – Czechia-Türkiye (Hamburg, 8:00 p.m.)
*All times in British Summer Time*
Tournament history
Like Czechoslovakia
1960 – Third place
1976 – Winners
1980 – Third place
Antonin Panenka scored his famous penalty when Czechoslovakia beat West Germany in the 1976 final.
Czechia’s streak at Euro 2020 came to an end in the round of 16 when they were defeated by Denmark
Like Czech Republic
1996 – Runner-up
2000 – Group stage
2004 – Semifinals
2008 – Group stage
2012 – Quarterfinals
2016 – Group stage
2020 – Quarterfinals
Odds of winning the trophy
The Czech Republic is 100/1 to win in Germany sky bet. Odds are correct at time of publication.
Confirmed squad
Goalkeepers: Jindrich Stanek (Slavia Prague), Matej Kovar (Bayer Leverkusen), Vitezslav Jaros (Sturm Graz)
Defenders: Ladislav Krejci (Sparta Prague), Martin Vitik (Sparta Prague), Robin Hranac (Viktoria Plzen), Tomas Vlcek (Slavia Prague), Vladimir Coufal (West Ham), David Doudera (Slavia Prague), David Jurasek (Hoffenheim), Tomas Holes (Slavia Prague), David Zima (Slavia Prague)
Soucek will captain the Czech Republic and add experience to a largely revamped squad for the Euros.
Midfielders: Tomas Soucek (West Ham), Antonin Barak (Fiorentina), Michal Sadilek (Twente), Lukas Provod (Slavia Prague), Pavel Sulc (Viktoria Plzen), Matej Jurasek (Slavia Prague), Vaclav Cerny (VfL Wolfsburg), Lukas Cerv ( Viktoria Plzen), Ondrej Lingr (Feyenoord)
Forward: Patrik Schick (Bayer Leverkusen), Adam Hlozek (Bayer Leverkusen), Mojmir Chytil (Slavia Prague), Tomas Chory (Viktoria Plzen), Jan Kuchta (Sparta Prague)