Czech Republic will put their unbeaten record on the line as they host Albania in Group E of the European Championship qualifiers. While the Albanians have shown some quality in this campaign, a clash against the group leaders might prove too difficult as the Czechs are expected to come out on top.
Czech Republic have made a fine start to the qualifying campaign and are the only team in Group E yet to taste defeat. They are one point clear at the top of the standings having claimed two wins and a draw from their opening three matches.
Jan Silhavy’s men picked up a 3-0 victory over Faroe Islands in their previous qualifying fixture. They followed that result with another comfortable win as they triumphed 4-1 in Montenegro in a friendly.
Overall, the Czech Republic are unbeaten in four matches this year, claiming three wins in that run. They have also shown some defensive solidity in recent times, keeping clean sheets in their last two qualifying fixtures.
Albania are proving to be no pushovers at this level as they have also made a solid start to the qualifiers. They are currently second in Group E, one point behind the Czechs having claimed two wins in their three matches.
Having begun their campaign with a 1-0 defeat to Poland, the Albanians bounced back to win their following two matches. They claimed a 2-0 victory over Moldova before travelling for a 4-1 win in Faroe Islands in their previous fixture.
While things appear to be looking up for Albania in the qualifiers, their overall away form remains suspect. The win over Faroe Islands was their first in eight away matches having suffered five defeats in that run.
How the bookies view it
Czech Republic have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 4/7 by Coral to claim the win. A victory for Albania is valued at 6/1 by bet365 while a draw is set at odds of 3/1 by Betfred.
Recent Head to Head
There has been only one previous meeting between both teams with Czech Republic claiming a 3-1 victory in a friendly back in 2021.
Players to watch
Vaclav Cerny carries a major threat on the wings for Czech Republic and with four goals in his last six international matches, is priced at 16/5 by William Hill to find the net on Thursday. Striker Mojmir Chytil was on target last time out in Montenegro and could also be worth keeping an eye on 23/10 with William Hill.
Czech Republic have also shown some quality at the other end of the pitch, keeping clean sheets in their two qualifying matches. Jakub Brabec has been a rock at the heart of the defence and can lead the team to a clean sheet at 5/6 with bet365.
Anything else catch the eye?
Czech Republic have been solid at the back lately and as they are expected to come out on top here, a win to nil could be considered at 13/10 with BetVictor. They have also shown plenty of attacking verve and can be tipped in the -1 handicap market at 13/8 with Paddy Power.
The Czechs have scored in both halves in three of their last four matches across all competitions and Thursday’s clash can be tipped to follow a similar pattern at 7/4 with Unibet.
This Euro 2024 match between Czech Republic and Albania will be played on Sep 7, 2023 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Czech Republic vs Albania prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
