Czech Republic – Spain

Spain must beat a leaderless rival in cold blood

The Czech Republic will play Spain in the second round of the Nations League at home. The Czech team are conducting a certain experiment in this tournament. After being eliminated from the World Cup qualifiers, the national team are looking at a large number of reserves. It is a rare case for the Nations League. Usually everyone plays with the strongest squads. The Czech Republic have a lot of young players, and those who were on the podium of the national team from the domestic championship. At the same time there are no Kalas, Celustka, Kaderabek, Kral, Barak, Vydra and the main star Patrik Šik. Surprisingly, this did not stop the Czechs from beating Switzerland at home. In the first contest Jan Kuchta scored his debut goal for the national team. Three shots on target resulted in two goals. The opponents were more dangerous in their attacks. Spain predictably played in their own style against Portugal. Emphasis on ball control, but the match unfolded in waves. The Spaniards did not shine in the attack, with two shots on target all game. The Portuguese were left in charge in the second half. A draw leaves the balance of power unchanged in this group. Red Fury head coach Luis Enrique admitted that there would be some rotation. In particular, Ansu Futi was not on the pitch in the first leg. There are plenty of other star substitutes at Enrique's disposal. The bookmakers are rightly favouring Spain, but the odds on the Czech Republic at around 4.50 are even slightly low, given the home team's line-up. The Czechs were also the underdogs against Switzerland. Now against Spain, the odds are objectively almost non-existent. "The Red Fury will take total control of the ball and dominate their opponent in all components. The only trump card of the Czechs is standard positions. There are a lot of big players, led by Soucek. At the same time, the Spaniards have had no previous problems with Greece, who play in a similar style. It would be logical to expect a comfortable win for Spain without conceding a goal. The team will tire out the home team through ball control and score one or two goals. That's the standard scenario for matches like these involving Spain. Do not count on more - there are still two games ahead. "The Red Devils will be conserving their energy. The Czech Republic, on the other hand, simply have nowhere to take their attacking potential. In this combination, without Schick, all you can think about is defence. Plus Spain have a big advantage when it comes to the depth of the squad. The visitors' reserves will have no problem with motivation. And there will be no significant loss of quality when they take to the pitch.