Know your Euro 2020 Groups: Group D – Will England bring it home?

GROUP D – CZECH REPUBLIC

The Czechs maintain their 100% record of qualifying for every European Championship since the breakup of Czechoslovakia. If we include the years they played as the latter, this is their tenth appearance.

As the Czech Republic, their best performance in the Euros is reaching the final in 1996 where they were beaten by the very first Golden Goal in senior international football from Oliver Bierhoff.

As Czechoslovakia, they won the tournament in 1976 in Yugoslavia, beating West Germany on penalties in which Antonin Panenka scored the spot-kick that has been named in his honor.

CZECH REPUBLIC TEAM INFO

• Manager – Jaroslav Silhavy
• Captain – Vladimir Darida
• Key Players – Tomas Soucek, Patrik Schick, Jakub Jankto
• FIFA Ranking – 40
• Prediction – Group Stage
• First match of the tournament – vs Scotland on June 14

Czech Republic squad for the tournament

Tomas Vaclik (Sevilla), Jiri Pavlenka (Werder Bremen), Ales Mandous (Sigma Olomouc)

Pavel Kaderabek (Hoffenheim), Ondrej Celustka (Sparta Prague), Jakub Brabec (Viktoria Plzen), Vladimir Coufal (West Ham), Tomas Kalas (Bristol City), Tomas Holes (Slavia Prague), David Zima (Slavia Prague), Jan Boril (Slavia Prague), Ales Mateju (Brescia)

Antonin Barak (Verona), Vladimir Darida (Hertha Berlin), Lukas Masopust (Slavia Prague), Petr Sevcik (Slavia Prague), Jakub Jankto (Sampdoria), Tomas Soucek (West Ham), Alex Kral (Spartak Moscow), Jakub Pesek (Slovan Liberec), Michal Sadilek (Slovan Liberec)

Patrik Schick (Bayer Leverkusen), Michael Krmenčík (PAOK), Adam Hlozek (Sparta Prague), Matěj Vydra (Burnley), Tomáš Pekhart (Legia Warsaw)