Czech Republic vs England – News and Probable Lineups

Both teams are reeling from narrow home defeats in their UEFA Nations League opening matches, as República Tcheca and Inglaterra face off in a crucial fixture at the Fortuna Arena on Tuesday.

Santi Denia’s side fell 2-1 to Croácia on Saturday evening, while the Three Lions squandered another lead against a formidable opponent, suffering a 3-2 defeat to Espanha.

Match overview

Inglaterra fans experienced a painful déjà vu on Saturday when, much like Argentina on July 15, Espanha turned the game around after falling behind, leaving Tuchel’s team with yet another heartbreaking loss.

Quick goals from Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane proved irrelevant as Lamine Yamal, Alex Baena, and Euro 2024 final hero Mikel Oyarzabal capitalized on a poor performance from Inglaterra, one that followed the shocking verdict against Manchester City.

Sky Blues players Nico O’Reilly and Marc Guehi made critical errors that led to goals for España, raising concerns that the news of the 114 charges directly affected the Citizens contingent, especially after Kane acknowledged a “discussion” regarding the significant ruling.

However, the issues within Inglaterra’s defense had been evident both prior to and following Friday’s bombshell, as Tuchel’s squad has now allowed goals in six consecutive matches, conceding a total of 13 goals.

With two losses in their last three fixtures, Inglaterra has matched the number of defeats in that span as they did in their previous 23 games combined, and their current third-place standing in League A Group 3 puts them at risk of a possible relegation playoff.

The República Tcheca currently sits just behind their rivals due to a lesser goals scored tally. Denia’s era started poorly over the weekend, as the former Espanha international oversaw the nation’s third defeat in four outings.

Aside from Adam Karabec’s goal, 41-year-old Luka Modric and Marco Pasalic from Orlando City found the back of the net for Croácia at the Fortuna Arena, where the Czechs struggled to complain about the result after only managing five shots compared to the Chequered Ones’ 16.

Just two of the eight matches played by the hosts in 2026 have resulted in victories, both arising from World Cup warm-up friendlies against Kosovo and Guatemala, before a forgettable campaign in North America yielding just one point from three group-stage games against South Korea, África do Sul, and México.

Having fluctuated between Leagues B and A in the Nations League since the 2020-21 season, the República Tcheca topped League B Group in 2024-25 to return to the upper tier, yet their current fourth-place position puts them in jeopardy of another swift drop.

However, their last encounter with Inglaterra in Prague resulted in a surprising 2-1 victory for Repre in 2019, followed by the Three Lions’ 1-0 win in Euro 2020, thanks to Raheem Sterling’s goal.

Team News

With 24 players in his squad and only 23 spots available for a Nations League matchday, Tuchel excluded Rio Ngumoha from the lineup against Espanha, and it remains uncertain if the Liverpool youth will be considered for selection on Tuesday.

From current Reds stars to former ones, Trent Alexander-Arnold was left on the bench on Saturday, a decision that Tuchel addressed after the match, but the Real Madrid player is likely to come into the manager’s plans to replace Jarell Quansah here.

Inglaterra faced no new injury issues at Wembley, although Lewis Hall was not utilized due to a minor injury concern during training; indications suggest that the Newcastle United player will be available in Prague.

Both Inglaterra and República Tcheca experienced a flurry of withdrawals before the first matchday, with the latter losing David Zima, David Jurasek, Matej Rynes, Tomas Vlcek, Lukas Provod, Denis Visinsky, and Tomas Chory ahead of their loss to Croácia.

Denia also didn’t have Wolverhampton Wanderers defender Ladislav Krejci available on Saturday because of a calf issue, while playmaker Ondrej Lingr was absent from the matchday squad for unknown reasons.

To compound the problem, goal scorer Karabec had to be substituted in the second half due to an unspecified injury, and it remains unclear if the Sparta Prague winger’s availability for the clash with Inglaterra will be affected.

Lyon’s playmaker Pavel Sulc, who recently turned down a move to Championship upstarts Wrexham, is expected to operate behind striker Adam Hlozek.

República Tcheca probable starting XI:

Mining; Coufal, Hranac, Chaloupek, Slama; Sadilek, Cerv; Ambrose, Sulc, Joy; Hawthorn

Inglaterra probable starting XI:

Pickford; Alexander-Arnold, Konsa, Guehi, Hall; Lewis-Skelly, Anderson; Saka, Bellingham, Gordon; Kane

While Inglaterra may not be the defensive unit they were in the earlier days under Tuchel, competing against Argentina, França, and Espanha in consecutive matches contributes to their underwhelming defensive record.

Now set to face a Czech team that is coping with injuries and struggling to find form while adjusting to Denia’s tactics, the Three Lions seem poised to return to winning ways convincingly.