Czech Republic vs Poland Predictions

• Both teams have not scored in four of Czech Republic’s last six home games.
• New Poland coach Fernando Santos is still getting to grips with his squad.
• The hosts are without the services of top-scorer Patrik Schick.

Set-pieces will be crucial to Czechs’ gameplan

The Czech Republic will target a potential weakness in new Poland coach Fernando Santos’ line-up when the two nations meet for Friday’s Euro 2024 qualifier in Prague.  The Eagles could be vulnerable in central defence without injured duo Jan Bednarek and Kamil Piatkowski while Kamil Glik is also unavailable.

It was clear from his selection that the ex-Portugal boss wants to get rid of the old guard and usher in a new generation of talent, but such transitions can take time to bear fruit and it looks like a gamble that could backfire initially.

Czech boss Jaroslav Silhavy has a more settled squad at his disposal, although he will once again be without injured striker Patrik Schick. One area where the hosts could hurt Poland is on set-pieces, an area they have been strong during Silhavy’s time as coach.

Uncertainty about how Eagles will go under Santos

Poland were pretty good away from home in World Cup qualifying and last year’s Nations League games, bar one disastrous evening against Belgium. They will set up to play on the counter-attack and limit opportunities for the Czech’s press to hurt them when possession is turned over.

So this could turn out to be a low-scoring affair unless one side or the other can change the tactical outlook by breaking the deadlock early on. Given there is uncertainty about how Poland will perform under their new coach, there is some merit in backing both teams not to score here.

The Czech Republic are not good at chasing games and may struggle to come up with a successful Plan B if the Poles don’t cave in under aerial pressure, hence the low-scoring correct score prediction of a 1-0 home win.