Our Euro 2024 Fantasy team previews continue with this look at the Czech Republic/Czechia.
Ivan Hasek’s side finished second in their qualifying group and will face Portugal, Turkey and Georgia at Euro 2024.
In these country-by-country guides, we’ll be looking at the best players from each nation, taking a stab at predicted line-ups, reviewing the road to Germany and more.
To do this, we’ll be calling on the help of correspondents from each country. Here, we enlist the services of Fantasy Football Scout user Bulara Darlington (aka Darlington Podolski on X).
A recent addition to these team previews is a Premium Members section detailing the official Opta data from Euro ’24 qualification. This data has just arrived in our Members Area, so sign up today to gain access to the all-important stats you need for this summer’s Euro Fantasy game.
With Euro 2024 kicking off this week, Fantasy Football Scout has an exclusive Premium Membership offer!
Our special Euros package is a 40% discount to our full-price Premium Membership, so for only £3.25 per month (billed annually), you get access to our unique Premium Members Area, which has all the data you need to succeed in Euro Fantasy.
Premium Members can now get that extra edge for their preparations with official Euro 2024 qualification and friendly data, as well as all the usual benefits like team reveals, a fixture ticker, expert strategy tips and more.
All prices given are from the official Fantasy Euro 2024 game.
THE ROAD TO QUALIFICATION
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Diff | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Albania | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 4 | +8 | 15 |
| 2 | Czechia | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 6 | +6 | 15 |
| 3 | Poland | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 11 |
| 4 | Moldova | 8 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 10 | -3 | 10 |
| 5 | Faroe Islands | 8 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 13 | -11 | 2 |
Despite losing only one of their qualifying group matches, Czechia finished runners-up in their group on goal difference to Albania. They sealed their short trip to Germany with a 3-0 win over 10-man Moldova thanks to David Doudera’s (€4.5m) opener, Tomas Chory’s debut strike (€4.5m) and a trademark last-minute goal by Tomas Soucek (€6.0m).
Manager Jaroslav Silhavy responded to that triumph by resigning from his post, citing the pressures of the job. He had to send three players home – West Ham’s Vladimir Coufal (€5.0m), fellow defender Jakub Brabec (€4.0m) and striker Jan Kuchta (€6.0m) – after they were caught out in a nightclub ahead of the Moldova match.
The pressure mounted on Silhavy after a patchy start to the campaign in which they won only two of their first five matches. Victories over Poland and Faroe Islands were undermined by a goalless draw with Moldova and only a point mustered from back-to-back encounters with Albania.
The 3-0 defeat in Tirana was the low point. The Czechs had striker Mojmir Chytil (€6.0m) sent off in the first half and found themselves behind Albania and Poland in third place. But Silhavy masterminded a recovery as his side put together four wins and a draw from their remaining five matches.
Czechia are often overlooked as a force to be reckoned with in major tournaments but their record is more than reasonable. The 1976 European Champions have reached at least the last eight in four of their last seven finals, making the semi-final stage once and the final of Euro ’96.
At the last Euros, they impressed thanks to the brilliance of Patrik Schick (€7.0m), who finished joint-top goalscorer alongside Cristiano Ronaldo (€10.0m), with the help of the Goal of the Tournament – an outrageous long-range goal against Scotland.
QUALIFICATION IN NUMBERS
- Most starts: Tomas Soucek, Tomas Holes (8)
- Most goals: Vaclav Cerny, Tomas Soucek (3)
- Most assists: Tomas Chory, Mojmir Chytil, Vladimir Coufal, David Jurasek, Vaclav Jurecka, Alex Kral, Vasil Kusej, Tomas Soucek (1)
- Clean sheets: 4 from 8
UNDERLYING STATS
RECORD SINCE QUALIFYING
| Date | Competition | Opposition | Result | Score | Goalscorers | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 March | Friendly | Norway (a) | W | 2-1 | Zima, Barak | Souček, Lingr |
| 26 March | Friendly | Armenia (h) | W | 2-1 | Krejci, Chory | Barák, Souček |
| 7 June | Friendly | Malta (n) | W | 7-1 | Barák (pen), Chytil (x2), D Jurásek, Lingr, M Jurásek, Černý | Coufal x2, Šulc, M Jurásek |
Since reaching the finals Czechia have all three of their friendly matches under Silhavy’s successor, the itinerant manager Ivan Hasek, for whom this is his second stint in charge.
They clinched 2-1 victories over Norway and Armenia in March, with David Zima (€4.0m) and Antonin Barak (€5.5m) on target in Oslo and Ladislav Krejci (€5.0m) and Tomas Chory scoring against Armenia.
The minnows of Malta were despatched in the first of the June friendlies. In terms of helpful preparation for a European Championship, it’s on a par with England hammering Aylesbury United before Euro ’88.
The Czechs have lost only once in the last two calendar years and will be confident of building on their last European Championship performance, when they came through a group containing England, Croatia and Scotland before beating the Netherlands in the round of 16.
After another warm-up match against North Macedonia, they cross the border to take on Portugal, Georgia and Turkey in Group F and will be disappointed not to reach the knockout stage.
MOST RECENT INTERNATIONAL LINE-UPS
22/03/2024 – Norway (a)
(4-2-3-1): Stanek; Doudera, Holes, Zima, Zeleny; Soucek, Krejci, Chytil, Provod, Sulc; Schick
26/03/2024 – Armenia (h)
(3-4-1-2): Kovar; Visek, Kranak, Krejci; Gabriel, Soucek, Sadilek, D Jurasek; Barak; Schick, Hlosek
07/06/2024 – Malta (n)
(3-4-1-2): Kovar; Vitik, Hranac, Zima; Coufal, Sadilek, Sulc, D Jurasek; Barak; Chory, Chytil
UPCOMING FIXTURES
| Date | Competition | Opposition |
|---|---|---|
| 10 June | Friendly | North Macedonia (h) |
GROUP FIXTURES
- 18 June: Portugal
- 22 June: Georgia
- 26 June: Turkey
HOW FAR WILL THEY GET?
With Euro 2024 kicking off this week, Fantasy Football Scout has an exclusive Premium Membership offer!
Our special Euros package is a 40% discount to our full-price Premium Membership, so for only £3.25 per month (billed annually), you get access to our unique Premium Members Area, which has all the data you need to succeed in Euro Fantasy.
Premium Members can now get that extra edge for their preparations with official Euro 2024 qualification and friendly data, as well as all the usual benefits like team reveals, a fixture ticker, expert strategy tips and more.