England will look to bounce back from the defeat to Spain when they face the Czech Republic in the Uefa Nations League this Tuesday.
The Three Lions endured a roller-coaster of emotions in their first game back from World Cup heartbreak. Spain took the lead just two minutes in, but Thomas Tuchel’s men managed to turn things around and get a 2-1 lead before half time.
Harry Kane even had the chance to make it 3-1 but missed the penalty. Five minutes later, Alex Baena put Spain level and Mikel Oyarzabal finished them off in the 74th minute.
Good news is that two of the three goals England conceded were basically gift-wrapped for Spain. There were plenty of avoidable mistakes well under their control that could have easily led to a win.
They will now face the Czech Republic – also known as one of the worst performing countries in the 2026 World Cup.
Czech Republic vs England team news
England team news
Thomas Tuchel is facing some pressure in charge of England due to many of his choices undermining their campaign in the World Cup. The loss to Spain in the opener of the Nations League certainly doesn’t help his case.
Luckily for him, the Three Lions will now face much more easier opponents rather than the two World Cup finalists.
The German manager has publicly stated that he would like not to rotate the squad too much in order to build a solid unit and give six or seven players full trust and responsibility. But he did admit it may not be possible.
James Trafford looks set to remain in the starting lineup. Jordan Pickford will possibly take over for the other two games of the current international break.
Tuchel decided to stick with a centre-back at right-back, but Jarrell Quansah was one of England’s weak points against Spain. This could give Trent Alexander-Arnold an opportunity to represent the country for the first time in over a year.
Given Nico O’Reilly’s subpar performance, Lewis Hall could also make an entrance to the starting XI. It would be a reward for his fine form at Newcastle so far this season.
Going by the continuity piece that Tuchel claimed to value, Elliot Anderson and Jude Bellingham could also start once more here, just like the front three of Bukayo Saka, Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane. But considering the level of the opponent, dropping Bellingham to a deeper role is also a possibility.
Morgan Gibbs-White had a decent cameo off the bench and could get an opportunity.
Czech Republic team news
Manager Santi Denia had to deal with lots of last-minute withdrawals after naming his squad. The likes of David Jurasek, David Zima, Denis Visinsky, Lukas Provod, Matej Rynes, Tomas Vlcek and Tomas Chory all pulled out.
Wolves defender and national team captain Ladislav Krejci also missed out on the loss to Croatia. Goalscorer Adam Karabec had to leave in the 74th minute while it was still 1-1 as well. Though it is not known whether he will be available against England.
An absence would be good news for the Three Lions, seeing as the Sparta Prague man has either scored or assisted in each of his last four games for club and country.
Elsewhere, standouts Pavel Sulc, attacking midfielder for Lyon, and Newcastle goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek, should both start.
Czech Republic vs England predicted lineups
Czech Republic (4-2-3-1): Hornicek; Coufal, Hranac, Chaloupek, Slama; Sadilek, Cerv; Ambros, Sulc, Subert; Hlozek.
England (4-2-3-1): Trafford, Alexander-Arnold, Konsa, Guehi, Hall; Anderson, Bellingham; Saka, Gibbs-White, Gordon; Kane.