CZECH REPUBLIC will step up their preparations for Euro 2024 when they meet Malta at the Untersberg-Arena in Austria on Friday afternoon.
It would be fair to say that the Lions have become European Championship mainstays, having qualified for each of the last eight editions of the tournament.
That being said, the Czechs' Euro 2024 qualifying campaign was somewhat underwhelming, as they placed second in their pool behind Albania.
There has also been a change in the Czech dugout since they secured their passage to this summer's showpiece, with Ivan Hasek replacing Jaroslav Silhavý, who surprisingly opted to resign in the lead up to Euro 2024.
Meanwhile, Malta had another miserable time of it during qualifying, as they propped up their section, losing each of their eight games in the process.
Michele Marcolini’s men have drawn their last two friendly fixtures with both Slovenia and Belarus, though their latest opponents represent a step up in class.
How the bookies view it: Routine win for Czech Republic
Czech Republic are short priced 1/7 favourites on Bet 365 to win the first of their two pre-Euro 2024 warm-up fixtures on Friday night.
International minnows Malta are massive 16/1 underdogs on Bet 365 while the draw is an unfancied 6/1 with the same bookmaker.
Head to head: More misery for Malta
The two nations have crossed paths eight times on the international stage, with Czech Republic running out winners in six of those matches, while the other two matches were drawn.
It's also worht noting that the Czechs have taken top honours from each of the last four meetings.
Players to watch: Schick looking to get slick
After missing out during qualifying, Patrick Schick will be looking to get up to speed again for his country ahead of Euro 2024. The Bayer Leverkusen striker, who finished as joint-top scorer at Euro 2020, stands out at 20/21 (Bet 365) to find the back of the net on Friday.
After netting his maiden international goal in March, Malta midfielder Stephen Pisani has been priced up at 14/1 (Bet 365) to strike in Salzburg.
Predicted line-ups
The aforementioned Patrick Schick is expected to get a run out from the start, while Vladmir Coufal could come back into the starting XI.
Malta boss Michele Marcolini could opt to field the same side that earned a pair of draws from their two friendly fixtures back in March.
Czech Republic: Stanek; Coufal, Holes, Zima, Zeleny; Soucek, Krejci; Lingr, Barak, Hlozek; Schick
Malta: Bonello; J Mbong, S Borg, Pepe, J Borg, Camenzuli; Yankam, Guillaumier, Teuma; Reid, P Mbong
Anything else catch the eye?
The Czech Republic are unbackable at the above-mentioned price but siding with them to win to nil in a game that features under six match goals will bolster the odds up to 4/5 on Bet 365.
Despite their sluggish showing during qualification, the Lions remained a tough nut to crack, as evidenced by the fact that they conceded just six goals across their eight Group E outings.
What’s more, Malta have failed to land a blow in six of their last seven defeats on the international circuit, not to mention each of those losses have produced fewer than six match strikes.
With all that in mind, backing the Czechs to earn a comfortable win whilst keeping a clean sheet has to merit consideration at 4/5 on Bet 365.
This International Friendly match between Czech Republic and Malta will be played on Jun 7, 2024 and kick off at 16:30. Check below for our tipsters best Czech Republic vs Malta prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
