Czech Republic vs Spain Nations League preview: Where to watch, kick-off time, prediction, form guide
Sunday, June 5, 2022
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When is it? How can you watch it? All you need to know about the UEFA Nations League Group A2 game between the Czech Republic and Spain.
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The Czech Republic and Spain meet in UEFA Nations League Group A2 on Sunday 5 June.
Czech Republic vs Spain at a glance
When: Sunday 5 June (20:45 CET kick-off)
Where: SINOBO Stadium, Prague
What: UEFA Nations League Group A2 fixture
How to follow: Build-up and live coverage will appear here
Where to watch Czech Republic vs Spain on TV
Fans can find their local UEFA Nations League broadcast partner(s) here.
Line-ups
Czech Republic: Vaclík; Zima, Brabec, Matějů; Coufal, Sadílek, Souček, Zelený; Pešek, Kuchta, Lingr.
Spain: Unai Simón; Carvajal, Eric García, Iñigo Martínez, Alonso; Gavi, Rodri, Koke; Sarabia, De Tomás, Olmo.
Form guide
Czech Republic (most recent match first): WDLWWW
Spain (most recent match first): DWWWWL
Group A2 so far
02/06: Spain 1-1 Portugal
02/06: Czech Republic 2-1 Switzerland
Expert prediction
Ondřej Zlámal, match reporter
The Czechs started off with a sound home win against Switzerland but know they need an even better performance against Spain, while cutting out any defensive mistakes. Coach Jaroslav Šilhavý is again expected to employ three defenders at the back and rely on diligent teamwork, in a match that is set to bring captain Tomáš Souček his 50th international cap. Spain are likely to have a lot of possession in Prague and will need to take their chances against in-form ex-Sevilla goalkeeper Tomáš Vaclík if they are to record their first win in the section.
What the coaches say
Jaroslav Šilhavý, Czech Republic coach: "The group is working tremendously hard. We are in the best possible company, but I don't want to overestimate our first win. We are still playing for a chance to stay in League A. I'm sure that if the boys work as hard as they did against Switzerland, they will have a chance to get a good result against Spain as well. We will check the fitness of the players but we want to have our strongest XI again. The backbone of the team will not change."
Luis Enrique, Spain coach: "We expect a very difficult game. The Czech Republic are promoted from League B but they have shown that they can beat anyone. They are a brave team that defends very well and are also playing at home. We are very lucky because Spain's players are intelligent and have a lot of quality and that is something I have to take advantage of."
What happens after the UEFA Nations League group stage?
The four group winners in League A will advance to the knockout finals with, in principle, one appointed as hosts. The semi-finals will be played on 14 and 15 June 2023, with the final and third-place play-off to follow on 18 June.
The teams finishing fourth in the groups in Leagues A will be relegated to League B for the 2024/25 edition.