The UEFA Nations League group stage reaches its crucial final stages this Thursday, as the Czech Republic host reigning world champions Spain in Prague. A loss will most likely send Repre straight down to League B, though much still depends on Croatia’s result against England.
Luis de la Fuente's men conquered North America in the summer to lift the World Cup, and they have seamlessly translated that historic triumph into their Nations League campaign.
La Roja boast a flawless record in the group phase and have already securely booked their place in the quarter-finals, allowing them to approach this fixture with supreme confidence and momentum.
However, the visitors are not without their selection headaches. De la Fuente has been forced into a significant squad shake-up due to a mounting injury list – most notably, Rodri, Dani Olmo, and Eric Garcia have been officially ruled out of this November camp.
Additionally, it was reported that Lamine Yamal and Mikel Oyarzabal will probably miss this first match against the Repre, which will force the manager to do even heavier rotations.
The Czech Republic are enduring a torrid time and face a monumental uphill battle. With four defeats in four rounds, the best they could hope for is a relegation play-off. But to reach it, they have to beat Spain and Croatia in the remaining two games.
To make matters significantly worse, their squad has been entirely decimated by late injuries ahead of this international break.
Ondrej Lingr and Pavel Sulc are both sidelined, while defensive regular Robin Hranac is also unavailable.
How the bookies view it: You can't go against the world champions
Spain are overwhelming favourites despite being the away side, typically priced around just 1/5 to secure all three points. A Czech Republic victory is considered a massive long shot at 11/1, whilst the draw sits at 13/2.
Recent head-to-head: La Roja have never lost
La Roja have never lost to the Czech Republic, and the recent meetings between them have been heavily one-sided. The overall picture shows six wins for Spain and two draws.
The most recent clash came just last month during Matchday 3 of this Nations League campaign.
Spain secured a comfortable 3-1 victory on home soil, with Rodri, Lamine Yamal, and Mikel Merino all getting on the scoresheet, while Jiri Slama grabbed a consolation goal for the visitors.
Players to watch: Fermin can be lethal in the final third
With Lamine Yamal unavailable, the creative burden for Spain shifts slightly. Keep an eye on Fermin Lopez, as the young Barcelona midfielder arrives in camp shortly after netting twice against Atletico Madrid over the weekend.
And as a whole, his form has skyrocketed since the last international break. He has accumulated four goals and five assists in his last seven appearances for Barca.
Probable line-ups
Czech Republic: Kinsky, Slama, Krejci, Chaloupek, Coufal, Soucek, Kral, Danek, Ambros, Cerv, Hlozek
Spain: Simon, Cucurella, Laporte, Cubarsi, Porro, Pedri, Ruiz, Fermin, Baena, Williams, Torres
Anything else catch the eye?
While Yamal's absence takes a bit of the sting out of Spain's right flank, their squad depth is frightening. The hosts have nothing to lose and must attack, which could easily leave additional gaps for Spain to exploit on the counter.
I will also be looking for cards for the hosts, especially after what we saw in the first clash. Chasing shadows for long periods inevitably leads to frustration and tactical fouls, and it led to six cards within 11 minutes for the Czech Republic.
GambleAware